Like Father like Son
by Skchuu
Summary: Set after Oversensitive. Kurt and Todd are a couple now. But Todd's hiding something, and when circumstances bring his secret out into the light, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Rated for swearing, violence, and sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

Sketchy here, with another story from the 'Kickin' Butt and Savin' Frogs' series.  
...Yeah, it's late. But it's here now. Me and Kchuu have been doing other things, some of which may or may not make their way onto this account. Either way, enjoy this next installment!

Warning: Some sexual themes in this chapter.

Like Father, Like Son Chap1

Todd loved art class nowadays. Scratch that, he loved being at school nowadays, and that was saying something! Two weeks had passed since the incident at the institute. Todd's cuts had all healed over, no scars from them, and the hype about his sexual preference had blown over (granted, 'Tro still didn't leave him alone about it). He saw Kurt everyday in art class, and they would just fill the time with talking. Todd was waiting in said class right now, actually getting there before Kurt for once. He hadn't gone to help Kurt with probation, partially because Kurt didn't want another soap incident to happen, partly because Pietro had been watching him like a hawk lately. But if Todd remembered it right, today was Kurt's last day of punishment, and that could open up a lot of possibilities.

Kurt crouched silently. His yellow eyes peered at his target. With uncanny deftness, his hands opened the latch. He slid languidly through the small window, his hands and feet making no noise as he entered the room. He slunk low to the ground, silent... His target was in sight...

Kurt jumped up right behind Todd, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. "GOTCHA!" He began tickling the younger boy vigorously.

Todd let out a high-pitched screech, which collapsed into a fit of laughter. Seeing a familiar face out of the corner of his eye, he tried to grab the other boys hands as he said "Wha-hahaha- t are you do-hahaha-ing yah doing y-hahaha-ah fuzzball?"

Todd decided he was very lucky that it was just him and Kurt in the room right now, if another student, or even the teacher (Who had left mumbling about a need for coffee) were here, then there'd be some really weird rumors going around by the end of the day.

Kurt continued tickling, his heart leaping at the sight of Todd's laughing face. His tail wriggled out of its grip on Kurt's waist, and reached around to tickle Todd's back. "You can't escape my special move!"

Todd was squealing with laughter, his face going red from the lack of air. _Fuzzy is sooooo dead if anyone walks in here an' see's me like this._

Secretly, Todd loved the attention. Knowing that someone he liked would touch him, whether in a kiss or like this, really made him happy inside. Not that he would ever admit it, or not put up a fight.

"Leggo Daw-haha-g!" Todd tried to wipe the smile off his face, failing miserably. What he did manage to accomplish was grabbing and holding back Kurt's right hand, not that it mattered since the other two limbs were still causing him to collapse his lungs with laughter. He writhed against the other boy, instinctively trying to escape the tail that was causing the majority of the laughing fit.

Kurt put his face close to Todd's. "Saaayyy uncle!" Kurt increased the velocity. He had only tried to tickle another person once, and they seemed repulsed by it. But seeing how truly happy Todd's face looked... so happy he couldn't hide it... Kurt felt unbearable joy.

Tears from the laughter were gathering in Todd's eyes, his face was beet red. He made a last ditch effort to avoid the remaining hand tickling his front, pressing himself against Kurt so the blue mutant couldn't reach the area. But that didn't stop the now moving twice as fast tail." I -haha- give yo I give! Uncle!"

Kurt brushed his nose up against Todd's, grinning widely. His tail curled back into his shirt. He pressed his lips to Todd's briefly before pulling back to a seated position in his chair. He couldn't wipe the big, goofy smile off his face as he watched Todd wipe the tears of laughter off his reddened cheeks. It felt like nothing could spoil his mood. "So!" He said, leaning towards the gasping teen. "Tonight's my first night off probation! Are ve going to do something?"

Todd plopped back down on his seat, still breathing heavily and smiling widely. "Definitely dawg. Where yah wanna go?" Checking the door quickly to see if anyone was coming in, he leaned close to Kurt and whispered in the disguised ear. "But what was with that sneakin' up on me yo, yer bein kinda reckless." He grinned and leaned his head onto Kurt's. "Not that I'm complainin'."

Kurt slid a hand over Todd's shoulder, and gave the younger boy a squeeze. "I made sure no one was coming... Vhat, you doubt my espionage skills?" His ears pricked up under the hologram. "Oh, somevone's coming." He pulled his hand back, drawing it across Todd's back. Todd was wearing his old shirts again, but even through the double-layer of cloth... Kurt could feel those old scars that Rogue had told him about. The reason why they had to keep their relationship a secret... If the bullies hurt him that bad just for being bi... imagine what they'd do to a kid who was gay with the German foreign exchange student...

Todd sat up straight in his seat, watching the door intently. He still didn't know how Kurt could hear that well; maybe it had something to do with his pointed ears?

The art teacher walked into the room, holding a steaming mug of coffee. She gave a glare at the only two students present. She walked to her desk mumbling about how kids took advantage of her 'it's fine if you're a little late' policy.

Todd gave a sigh of relief, the teacher still didn't suspect a thing. He sneaked a look over at Kurt, trying to imagine him without the stupid disguise. It'd been a long time since he'd seen the real Kurt, and he kinda missed the blue fur. He let his eyes and mind wander back to the teacher, who was now glaring at the other students who trickled through the door.

The teacher-No, no one at ALL knew about them being together. That was fine, though he really hated needing to be so careful all the time. Todd had thought that after Kurt had gotten Baldy's approval, that they could be a bit more open about their relationship, but if anything Kurt had tried to hide it even more.

_Is Fuzzy afraid he'll get laughed at or something? Or..._ Todd's expression fell. It was so obvious! Kurt still remembered how he had gotten beaten up for being bi, and was afraid that if he said he was gay, he'd be picked on even worse. Todd gave a sigh, he couldn't blame Kurt for that.

Kurt scootched his chair a little ways away from Todd's. "So, did you do the homework assignment, mein freund?" He poked at Todd's sketchbook. "Do you have any new pictures in there?" Kurt glanced up at Todd's face, which was covered in a sort-of worried/frustrated expression. "...Are you okay?" _Did I do something to offend him?_

Todd forced his face back to the normal grin he usually wore. "Nah yo, I'm fine." He flipped open his sketchbook, skipping over most of the pages. "We were supposed to draw portraits of a family member, right?" He stopped on a page in the middle of the book. "Fred's the only one of the 'hood that'll stay still long enough to draw, so I ended up drawin' him while he was sleepin' in front of the tv." He eyed the pages that came after the one he was on, and made a mental note to not flip to them. _Can't have the furball know that all I draw nowadays is him. His head gets swelled enough from sneakin' up on me like he did earlier._

Kurt reached out a hand. "Can I see? That's really good!"

Todd gulped. _I hate irony, yo._

"Uh, can't ya see it from here?"

"Come onnn, you know vhat I mean!" He reached out his hand. "Vhat, you think you're other vones aren't good?" He reached his other hand into the bag that still lay, cast aside, behind his chair. Withdrawing a black sketchbook, he flipped it open. "Look, I drew my parents." He made it face towards Todd. It was drawn with slow, focused lines, and clearly based off a photo. Technically, it wasn't great. But Kurt had spent a long time on it. His foster father and mother looked at the viewer kindly, and in the middle was a young Kurt-carefully drawn without the ears or the tail, of course. He gave a little sigh. _I still kind of miss them sometimes...  
_  
Todd couldn't help but feel a little depressed. Kurt had obviously put a lot of effort into this, a sign that he really cared about who he was drawing, and they all looked so happy in this. Like a family should, and so unlike Todd memories of his parents... "Not bad Fuzzy. So you weren't, um, blue, as a kid?"

Kurt turned the book back around. "No, I vas blue, alright." He chuckled. "But I can't have the art teacher questioning vhy my parents are holding a plush toy!" He set the book down on the desk. "So, can I see yours, now? I know you draw vayyy more than I do!"  
He made playful grabby hands at Todd's sketchbook.

Todd gave a fake whimper at the other boys question. "Awww, c'mon yo. Maybe I have stuff in here yah don't wanna see!" He leaned far forward, staring into Kurt's eyes, and trying to look very serious (and to not burst out in laughter while he did so) "Things that could SCAR YOUR MIND. Like BLOBFISH or CAMEL SPIDERS."

Kurt laughed. "Vell, camel spiders ARE creepy, but... you know I think blobfish is totally adorable! In an ugly sort of way, that is..." He reached past the boy for the book. "I think there IS stuff in there you don't vant me to see! ... But I don't think blobfish is vhat you are talking about..."

Todd gave a gulp, Fuzzy was not gonna let this go, was he? Well, when in doubt, change the subject! "Hey, Blobfish. Blob fish, yah thinkin' what I am? Fredster as a puffer fish!" _If that works I will never pickpocket again...For the next week._

Kurt laughed at the mental image. "Yeah, that's vhat you should draw next!" Now he was really curious. _vhat does mein froggy friend have in there that he doesn't want me to see? If he's goin' this far, it must be good!_ "but seriously, man, I vant to see your other pictures!"

Todd gave a pouting face and clutched the sketchbook. "Only if yah can pry it from my cold, unmoving hands!" He fidgeted in his seat. Part of him wanted Kurt to see the sketches, the other part screamed 'Hell No'.

Kurt shrugged and heaved a mock sigh. "Oh vell, I give up... NOT!" His tail whipped out, under the desk, and started tickling Todd's side.

Todd gave a startled cry, which turned into giggling. Feeling several of the students turn to stare at him, Todd blushed furiously. He glared at Kurt and whisper-yelled "That was uncalled fo' dawg! We're out in public fo' cryin' out loud! Show some self-contro-"

Todd suddenly realized that he was no longer holding his sketchbook, and that it was resting in Kurt's lap, page flipped to the one that came right after Fred's portrait.

The expression on Kurt's face was nothing less than touched. "Aww, Todd... this is... great." his eyes were glued to the page. On it was a pencil sketch of Kurt, leaning against a tree and smiling. It was the blue boy's undisguised form, and the smooth arc of his tail hung down behind his legs. It was clear that it had taken some time, and it was surprisingly accurate. Kurt's heart rate increased. Todd had noticed all the little details... from the length of his ears to the stubborn locks of hair that wouldn't lie flat. "I... I'm honored, this is... unglaublich... But vhy didn't you vant to show me?" He flipped through a few pages afterwards, all sketches of his undisguised self. A huge grin came to his face at the last one- a quick drawing of Kurt lying sprawled on his back on a tree branch.

"Because it's _embarrassing_, yo." Todd whispered softly, eying the students who had been staring at him until a moment ago. His gaze wandered slowly back to Kurt, head down and peeking up through his bangs. "This thing is practically my diary yo. I only draw what...What I'm thinking about." He dropped his eyes to stare intensely at Kurt's shoes.  
He only drew what he thought about, and virtually every page he'd drawn in the past two weeks were filled with Fuzzy blue elves. _Jeeze, I'm hopeless._

Kurt felt a stirring of emotion in his stomach. His inducer's heat-sensors were probably going off the charts, judging by the bright crimson his hologram's cheeks were turning.

"That's really... really sweet... I've been thinking about you a lot, too... the only issue is my lack of drawing skill." He laughed, a little nervously. _Though I imagine just fine..._ Kurt slid the book back to Todd on the table they shared. "S-so..." He said, fighting the urge to jump the younger boy right then and there, "did you have anything... specific in mind for tonight?"

Todd let his eyes creep back up to Kurt's, who was blushing as much as Todd thought he had been himself. "Glad yah like it Fuzzbutt. Though I still feel like a creeper." He tilted his head back to normal, looking Kurt fully in the face. "Don't know where tah go. We could go to the Gutbomb again, or maybe catch a movie." _Maybe a chick flick, then we can just sit in the back and make out the whole time._

Kurt giggled. Fuzzbutt was possibly the most hilarious nickname ever. "Hmm, a movie does sound fun... But it's my first night off probation... I feel like ve should do something extra special!" He looked away, poking his chin with one finger in thought. _I vould suggest going to a party... but I don't know vhat's going on tonight... And I don't know if Todd'd feel comfortable vith that... a movie vould probably be fine..._

Todd tried to think, where was a good place to go? _Jeeze, like you'd eveh know places to have fun, toad-boy._

Todd frowned, did anyone know places to go? Lance and Fred wouldn't, He'd never ask 'Tro, so that left- oh duh.

"Let's ask Boom-Boom yo. She knows all the hot spots, an' I happen tah know that she goes down the freshman hallway to get to her fifth period class."

Almost on cue, the bell signaling the start of fourth period sounded. "All right class, open your sketchbooks to your family portraits, I'll be going around to check them off."

Kurt grinned. "That sounds great!" Tabitha was the perfect person to ask about this kind of thing, she always knew where the kickin' party was! "I'm really excited!" He turned his face away from Todd, to present his book to the teacher.

"Very good Mr. Wagner." The teacher looked over at Todd's sketchbook, which was still on the page of Kurt on a tree branch. "Mr. Tolensky, I hope you don't expect me to believe you have a... Cat-elf-demon-humanoid in your family."

Todd glared angrily at the teacher. "'S not a demon yo! And what if he is a part of my fam', you got a problem?"

The teacher raised an eyebrow at Todd's outburst, deciding she didn't want to get in a fight with one of her most stubborn students. "My apologies. Then it's your cat-elf-human is your portrait project? I'd have to take off points for...Lack of realism."

Todd frowned at the teacher, he didn't like her to begin with, but she was dissing Kurt now. That deserved retaliation. "Yeah, it is! So don't go callin' him a demon yo!"

Kurt nudged him. "Todd!" He hissed. "It's okay! Don't get a bad grade for me!" He felt a little sad at the demon comparison, but those feelings were greatly overshadowed by the happiness, and how honored he felt... at Todd calling him family... _I vonder if some day... ve could BE part of a family_… But his heart started beating too fast at this to continue that train of thought.

Todd gave a look over at Kurt; He didn't like this, not one bit. He knew Kurt was sensitive to the whole 'demon' thing, he had known since long before they had gotten together. And now that he was with Kurt, he had a duty to protect him against things like this.  
But Kurt also said he was okay this time...  
Todd gave an angry huff, and flipped to the page with Fred on it. "There, yah happy?"

"Not really, but you're score certainly improved from this." The teacher scribbled down the score in her notebook, then walked back to her desk. "Today is a free study day. You may draw or paint whatever you wish, but you must be working on something."

Kurt gave Todd a smile. "Vhy don't you draw vith reference this time?" He raised his hand. "Teacher! Can Todd and I go outside and paint trees?" The teacher turned, looking enthusiastic. "Of course you may! The drawing boards are right over here..."

Later, the two boys sat under a tree. Kurt propped his drawing board on a rock in front of him. He looked around, and switched off his inducer. "So... Do I look like you remember?" He gave a little pose. Under his inducer, he was wearing a red tank top, and blue shorts.

Todd blushed like crazy, had he ever seen Fuzzy show that much skin-er, fur before? _Nah, I woulda remembered THIS._

Todd gave a grin, and could feel something in his stomach stir. "Yah look even better dawg, hard to remember perfection enough to draw it, yo."

He let his eyes wander around the other boys body, never once lowering them to begin a sketch. Though it was doubtful that he even remembered they were supposed to draw something. _Damn, Kurt is SEXY._

Kurt, who had been staring at his blank paper, felt Todd's eyes on him. He looked down at himself, then sheepishly at Todd. "Oops! Sorry, sometimes the fur is just too hot for me to wear my full costume under the inducer... And I mean, it's not like anyvone sees it, right?" Turning his eyes back to the blank paper, he lay back against the tree, his arms resting on the ground at his side. His tail quickly grabbed the charcoal and poised to start sketching.

"Hey yo, I ain't complainin'." Todd folded his legs to sit Indian-style, grateful for the soft grass and-"Sure is a nice view, huh?"  
It was, in fact, a nice view. The trees were leafy and green, and the sun was shining with only a few puffy clouds to accompany it. However, the only thing Todd was looking at was the blue mutant in front of him. Schoolwork be damned, this was the first time he'd actually 'seen' Kurt in weeks!

Kurt's tail began drawing some lines for trees with surprisingly deft movements. Glancing back at Todd, Kurt noticed that he wasn't drawing at all... Just gawking at him. "You know, ve actually have to draw to get a grade in this class... Is... something wrong?" Kurt's heart sank. Was his appearance so freaky that Todd couldn't stop looking at it? Maybe he had been drawing the fuzzy form to try to get used to it, or because of a... dark fascination, like boys drawing monsters... Kurt slouched, flicking the inducer back on. "There, is that better?" He said, with a sullen expression. His tail kept flicking, practically drawing on it's own.

Todd started. "Aw c'mon yo, why'd yah turn that thing back on?" He shifted around to sit in his normal crouch, his face twisting into a mixture of annoyed and pouting. He had really just wanted to look (technically 'stare with lust') at Kurt for the rest of the period, why'd Kurt have to ruin his fun?

"Yah afraid someone'll see yah?"

Kurt turned his face from Todd, to hide the hurt expression. _I'm afraid you'll keep seeing me... and not like vhat you do..._

"Nah, no vone comes out here during class... it's just..." He took a deep breath, calming his nerves. "I'm already lucky that you're vith me now... I don't want to ruin my chances by reminding you you're dating a giant furball..." Kurt couldn't make himself look back at Todd's expression. He was too afraid of what he'd find there...

Todd's mouth practically hit the ground. Kurt thought...He thought Todd didn't like how he looked? That was insane, that was ridiculous, that was utter-

"Bullshit!"  
Todd fell forward onto his hands and knees, then slid towards Kurt, his eyes never leaving the other boys face.  
Soon he was practically on top of the other mutant. Grabbing Kurt's sketchbook and tossing it on the ground beside them, he leaned even further towards Kurt, hand seeking out the boys wrist and flipping off the inducer.  
I'm looking at choo-" Todd said softly, eyes still on Kurt. "'Cause I like what I see."

Kurt turned his face to find Todd's right above his own. He looked into the younger boy's eyes. "Really? You like the... blue?" Kurt felt a twitchy feeling in his abdomen. Todd was so close... it seemed like forever since they had been together like this... Kurt reached up to hold Todd's waist, then faltered. _If he really liked me... then vhy vouldn't he let me be with him vhen he was hurt in the shower? Vhy would you be so embarrassed in front of the boy you lo-like a lot?_

Todd moved a little closer, trying to ignore the disturbing realization that Kurt had stopped his embrace halfway through.

"I REALLY like the blue, Kurt." He pressed his lips to the older boys, and his hands found their way off the ground and into Kurt's hair, pulling gently at the locks to make him come closer.

Hearing Todd say his name make Kurt's stomach do flip-flops. He gingerly reached his hands back up, resting on Todd's waist. His whole body tingled-he had forgotten how good this felt! Getting more into the kiss, he wrapped his arms around Todd and pulled him close. The younger boy's body felt so thin in Kurt's strong arms.

Todd smiled into the kiss. Kurt had finally put his arms around him; it had felt awkward to have them only halfway there.  
Todd shifted his position so that he was kneeling on the ground between Kurt's legs, hands still giving light tugs at the other boy's hair.  
Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Todd sent his tongue delving into Kurt's mouth, exploring the area, sharp fangs and all.

Kurt jerked back in shock, making his shoulders thud against the tree. But his tight embrace brought Todd with him. A rush of emotion surged through him. Kurt's heart thudded in his ears. Todd was practically lying on top of him! Kurt moaned slightly, caressing the younger boy's bony back, his tail practically tying itself in knots of emotion.

Feeling and being taken with Kurt's sudden movement made Todd realize he probably shouldn't have done that. But hell if he wasn't enjoying it, and by the sound of those soft moans, so was Kurt. Todd felt Kurt move against him, their bodies now pressed against each other. Pair that with the moaning and it was giving Todd severe...Urges.

He felt hot all over, his breathing got heavier. He pulled away from Kurt's mouth to gasp for air, his eyes meeting Kurt's. He felt the same sparks he had two weeks ago, only now ten times as strong, and ten times as fantastic.

The sudden break brought Kurt back to the real world. He pulled his hands back, placing them on Todd's chest. "We should..." he gasped for air, "..stop..." An extreme heat was building inside of him, and he was afraid that... if they kept going, he'd go much farther than he wanted to... right now... His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. "We need to make something we can bring back to class..." another panting breath "so the teacher wouldn't think ve were just out here... dicking around..."

Still panting, and now leering down at the other boy, Todd gave a throaty whisper. "Oh yeah Fuzzball? What if I want to be out here 'dicking around'?" He leaned in again, softly kissing the bottom of Kurt's jaw. His hands slipped down to Kurt's waist, and his thumbs went slightly up under Kurt's shirt.  
_Stop right now slimeball, before Kurt hasta stop you himself...Maybe one more minute._

"Aahhhn!" At Todd's touch, Kurt's pelvis convulsed upwards despite himself. His body was thirsty for contact. And a long, slow throbbing in his crotch said he hungered for something else. He tried to catch his breath, and remain calm, but it had been WEEKS since he'd last... done ANYTHING like this... and he wanted more. His head lolled back against the tree, eyes closed in ecstasy. "Todd..." he half groaned, half whispered, totally absorbed in his feelings.

_Maybe a LOT more minutes_.

Todd felt his jeans grow disturbingly tight at Kurt's actions. Everything the blue mutant did just made Todd want him more.  
His hands slid up Kurt's tank-top, and he felt the solid muscle underneath the soft fur. He continued kissing Kurt's jawline, moving upwards towards the pointed blue ear. When he finally reached it, his mind was a mess.

He was hot, he wanted the boy under him like crazy. All the feelings, the relationship that had built over the last two weeks, it was more than he could've imagined or hoped for. He wasn't good with feelings, but one thing he knew for sure. And he began to whisper it in Kurt's ear.  
"I love y-"

The bell ending fourth period sounded. And all the uncontrollable urges Todd had been giving in too a moment ago suddenly vanished. He looked awkwardly at the tree that was now taking up most of his line of sight.  
Harshly pulling away from the older boy, Todd began to stutter out an apology, moving away all the while. "S-s-s sorry dawg. Lost my head."

Kurt's eyes snapped open, and he looked at Todd with a flushed, lusty face. His expression quickly changed to one of profound hurt at the loss of Todd's warm body against his own. He rolled onto his side, clenching the grass in his fists while he tried to calm his heart down. He bit his lip, trying to will the strange feeling in his shorts to go away. "It's... *pant* okay... ... verdammt..." Grabbing the ground with all his strength was the only thing he could do to stop from grabbing Todd again... and not letting go this time...

Todd tried to pant out the feeling in his stomach and...groin area.  
That bell just loved to ruin everything.  
Head starting to clear, he wondered if Kurt had really heard him almost say 'I love you'. That would be...Well, Todd didn't know what that would be, but he doubted he and Kurt were ready for that step. _Not that we didn't jump over a lot of boundaries with that little session._

He tried to stand up, stumbling a bit along the way. And finally remembered something important.  
"Hey yo, we need to catch Boom-Boom before she hits her next class." Todd reached out a hand to help Kurt up.  
"Guess we better go in tah catch her."

Kurt reached out his still shaking hand and took Todd's. Thinking about being burned at the stake pretty much killed your boner, so he was cool in that regard. He stood, brushing off his butt, and flicked his inducer back on. Letting out one last whoosh of air, he turned to Todd. "Yeah, let's go..." He left the drawing board sitting on the rock, he didn't really care about that that much anymore... He was mostly thinking about that night... When his curfew was extended to twelve... And there was no bell to stop him.

At the back of his mind, though, something bugged him. He thought he had heard Todd say something, but it was too quiet to make out. Maybe it was just heavy panting, but... the nagging feeling that it was something more was all he could think about the rest of the day...


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: Extreme sexual themes/hotness in this chapter. Yes, even more-so than the last.

Chapter 2

"Partyville, here we come!" The bodacious blonde yelled, leaning out the window as she revved the jeep downtown. "Tabitha, aren't you driving a little.. fast?" Kurt said nervously, clutching the side of the car. "This thing doesn't have seat belts!" The wind ruffled his hidden fur. His inducer showed the same old clothes he wore every day, but when the bumpy ride threw him against the boy in the seat beside him, the contact was for the most part, skin on fur. Kurt let out a mental sigh, mourning the fact that he hadn't had time to program the inducer to mirror his party clothes, which he had spent a long time choosing.

Partly terrified that the crazy girl was going to run them off the road, and partly getting hyped up on the feel of soft fur touching his arm, Todd gave a nervous grin.

"Does Lance even know you took the jeep yo?"

He gave a shiver, normally he would be fine with the slight chill in the air, but tonight he had abandoned his normal clothes for something a bit more...stylish/rave appropriate/ revealing. A black tank-top (stolen from deep in the bowels of Lances closet, most likely last worn years ago considering it felt tight even on the younger Brotherhood member), dark denim jeans (Taken from some store most likely), and a whole bunch of glowstick bracelets shoved up past his normal wristlets (Who knows where those came from).  
Todd suddenly regretted letting Boom-Boom choose his outfit, not having sleeves felt...wrong.

Tabitha swerved violently down a side street, grazing a mailbox. "Nope! But he won't care, I'm sure!" Kurt gave a nervous glance at the long scratch down the side of the car.

"So, ahh, where are ve going?" He half-yelled over the traffic whooshing by. "You said there vas a hot party-" he was cut off abrubtly by the car screetching to a halt. Tabitha yanked the keys out of the ignition and jumped out of the jeep, coming around to Kurt's side. "Only the hottest in town!" The three walked a little ways down the darkened street, and peeked around the corner.

'Planet Out' was written in a bright neon sign above a closed door. Posters plastered on the dirty walls showed pictures of various men and women, skankin' it up. From where they stood a good feet away, they could hear the pulsing music from inside. Kurt's heart started to beat a lot faster. "T-tabitha... isn't Planet Out... a gay nightclub?" His eyes widened, and he glanced back at Todd, frightful.

Todd's eyes widened and he gave Boom-Boom a glare.  
"Hey yo, what are yah tryin' tah pull?"

Tabitha grinned. "Boys, boys, I've seen the way you two look at each other! Believe me, no one in Bayville has as good a gaydar as I've got!" Glancing from face to face, she realized something. Reaching down quickly, she grabbed Kurt's inducer. "You won't be needin' this tonight, wild-blue-yonder-boy! On rave night, glowing eyes and body paint are normal!" She winked, and shoved the watch into her pocket.

Kurt was initially surprised, then happy. Tabitha was right-weird outfits and colored skin would be normal at a rave... and under dark blacklights, no one would be able to tell if they brushed against someone's fuzzy legwarmers... or a fuzzy leg. The wind whooshed around the corner, ruffling the bare fur on his back. The outfit he had chosen were a pair of long, dark-wash jeans that were tight at the top and flared out to accommodate his feet. He had borrowed a shirt from Kitty (without asking, but she never wore it anyway) for the night, a pale-blue, slightly metallic halter-top turtleneck. He thought he looked a little gay, but he hadn't planned on anyone seeing him with this outfit on... except for Todd. "Vell, let's go in, shall we?" He grabbed Todd's hand.

Blood rushing to both his face and...Lower area's, Todd felt woozy. Kurt was very, very, (insert several more verys) hot in that outfit. He let himself be pulled into the club.  
Colored lights flashed on and off, a throbbing beat that the music caused seemed to shake the floor. Couples, groups, and even a few drifting lone wolves all danced to the pulse of the music. On the side there were places to grab drinks, but the floor was mostly dominated by dancers.

Suddenly feeling very eager to get into the fray, Todd sped up, no longer being dragged but instead pulling Kurt into it.  
"Let's dance, Fuzzball!"

Kurt let himself be pulled into the pulsing wave of sweaty bodies. The throbbing techno beat surged in his ears. He wasn't sure exactly what to do, but he was a quick study, especially when it came to physical things. Soon, he was getting into the music, swishing his hips to the beat. He let his tail hang low, like an accessory, moving rhythmically with the rest of him.

Letting go of Kurt's hand, Todd began to follow the beat himself. Head swishing and hips moving to match the beat. His hands moved to follow the rest of the music, moving above his head and back down when the music slowed.

He let his eyes wander back to Kurt, who was gracefully swaying with the music.  
Suddenly having the intense urge get closer the other boy, he moved forward, a wide grin on his face.

Pivoting mid-hip swing, he stood right next to the taller boy, and playfully bumped his hip with Kurt's.

Kurt laughed, and bumped Todd back. Just then, a very large man pushed through the crowd of dancers. Kurt was almost shoved over, his whole body thrown against the younger boy. Seeing the couples around him, Kurt's mouth twisted up into a lusty grin. He grabbed Todd's hips and started dancing more intensely, front to front. Those clothes really suited his boyfriend... The pale shoulders and thin arms... leading down to those large, sensuous hands... All the feelings that had been welling up inside Kurt earlier that day were returning in a rush.

For a second Todd was miffed at the man who had bumped into his date; but at the sensation of the other boy pressed fully against him, he decided that he wished the man only the best in life.

Then Kurt suddenly became, well, forward. And hell if Todd didn't love it.  
Kurt was finally letting loose, no disguise, no hiding, just the two of them in a dance club with a really good techno song playing.

Placing his hands up on Kurt's shoulders, he swayed to the rhythm with the other mutant. Had the song been slower, it would have felt a little like a ballroom dance; but the song was fast and pulsating. Grinning at Kurt, Todd pressed himself hard against him.  
"Havin' fun Fuzzbutt?"

Kurt leaned over, thrusting up against Todd some more. He growled into Todd's neck. "Yes..." It felt so right, their warm bodies up against each other. Over Todd's shoulder, Kurt saw Tabitha dancing with a bunch of girls, and grinned. _no __**vonder**__ she has gaydar_... The song changed, a rap song overlayed on a thumping techno beat. More people joined the dance floor, pushing the boys closer together.

Todd gave a gasp at Kurt sudden thrust, which had collided both of their groins together. People were crowding around them, pressing them against eachother and increasing the tempurature. For Todd, it felt like he was on a high. Thoughts jumbled up in his head, and the only thing that mattered was him and Kurt feeling good.

Sounding out a growl of his own, he tried to repeat the contact that had happened moments ago, thrusting his hips forward into the other boy.

_FUCK that felt good!_ Kurt kissed Todd's neck, every now and then stopping to suck on the smooth skin. He knew he was being agressive, but when there was something he wanted, he went after it with real temerity... And right now, there was nothing in the world he wanted more than Todd. He hardly realized that they had been pushed to the outer edge of the dancers, to the area near a wall, until he felt Todd's body come to a stop against it. He slid his hands up to Todd's thin chest, bringing kisses and bites down his neck to his collarbone.

Feeling a warm flat surface hit his back, Todd's head started to clear a bit, though the kisses and gentle bites coming down on him still kept a haze around most areas of thought.

Part of Todd's brain was trying to remind him that he was easily marred and bruised, so with Kurt biting and sucking him like this, the marks would be visible for days; and reminded him that he lived with Pietro, who would both notice and question them.  
The other part of his brain was screaming to find somewhere to go where his and Kurt's clothes could come off.

"G-god, Fuzzy…." He moaned out. "You done this before or sumtin?"

He let his hands slide from Kurt's shoulder to the exposed fur on his back, running his fingers the wrong way through the soft blue coat, then smoothing it back down.

Kurt brought his lips up to Todd's ear. "Only in my mind..." He saw other couples on the wall, deeply involved in the same way he was... He felt like he belonged, like no one cared in this dimly lit club whether he was blue and kissing a boy or not... A group to their left caught Kurt's eye. Taking a leaf out of their book, he grabbed Todd's hips gently. Still kissing at the nape of the younger boy's neck, he maneuvered Todd around so the younger boy was facing the other way. Entirely absorbed in the moment, he thrusted into the frog boy's backside, his erection still obvious even through two layers of clothing.

Todd didn't resist Kurt's actions, but also didn't grasp at what he was trying to do.  
Until He felt a very stiff object thrust against his rear.

"FUCK!" Todd cried out, more in surprise than anything else. For a moment he considered turning around and laying into the other boy, but it didn't feel bad, not really. Though he doubted his dignity would come out intact.

He let out a little moan, Kurt's touching was somehow making Todd feel even hotter, and he felt his jeans getting tight. And he leaned his arms on the wall for support, since his legs had trouble keeping a solid stance.

Thrusting his hips back to meet Kurt's, he growled out "I'll kill you fo' this later Fuzzbutt."

Kurt grinned a devilish smile and thrust again, grinding his pelvis into Todd's rear in time to the music. "Sure you will, liebchen," he replied in a teasing voice, reaching his hands around to molest Todd's chest. The shirt was very thin, and he could feel the younger boy's nipples going hard. Kurt's eyes were immediately drawn to something, and he nearly stopped.

One of the sleeves on Todd's shirt had fallen slightly, revealing a bit of a long, ropy scar. _That does look bad... TOO bad... I don't think... bullies could have done something like that..._ He pulled back slightly. "Are you... okay, Todd?"

Todd had been giving small moans and whimpers of pleasure at Kurt's rougher-than-usual touch. When Kurt stopped, he gave a groan of annoyance, and looked back at the blue mutant.

"What cha' talkin' 'bout yo? You'd get like this too if I was grinding you like you are m-"  
Suddenly noticing Kurt's worried gaze, and that it was pointed at his shoulder...

His heart sank. Kurt had seen them, the scars.

Boner. Gone.

Todd snapped away from the wall, pulling up the tank-top's sleeve to its normal position as he turned and pressed his back to the wall, as if it would hide what Kurt had seen.  
His expression was one of fear and anger, and he snapped at the other boy, "If I wasn't fine, then I wouldn't be here! Just leave it alone Fuzzball!"

Kurt reeled back, shocked at Todd's outburst. "Ah... okay, uh... sorry..." He looked around nervously, trying to pull down his shirt. He was suddenly very self-conscious. It was clear that Todd was very sensitive about that... But Kurt didn't know how to act on that front... He didn't care, scars were no big deal... but if the younger mutant always reacted so violently to their mention... who knows what kind of trauma he was dredging up...

"Uh... I'll go... get us some drinks..." Kurt stumbled away through the crowd, thinking it was probably best to give Todd some space...

Todd gave a nod, staring at the floor as Kurt walked off. He leaned hard against the wall for a moment, before letting himself slide to the ground, curling up his legs to rest his forehead on them.

Kurt had seen them, the marks of Todd's most shameful secret. The one he never wanted to tell, or show, anyone.

And Kurt had walked away.

Todd could feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes, and he tried to make his breathing stay normal. But it was hard with the heat of the room.  
The temperature had seemed so wonderful mere seconds ago, when it had just been Him, Kurt, and the pleasure they were having. But now it was stifling, like a fever.

Far too much like a fever. Far too much like the heat of infection that deep cuts on his back had caused years ago. Like the heat he had felt when his world had come crashing down, and he'd been left alone.

He didn't want to be alone right now.

Todd got to his feet, feeling a little unstable, and followed the path Kurt had taken a minute ago.

Kurt walked up to the bar, feeling Todd's disappointed eyes on his back. "Uhm, two Cokes, please!" The barkeep raised an eyebrow at the blue boy, but he had seen weirder. As he prepared the drinks, Kurt fidgeted nervously at the counter.

"Sick costume, man." A tall, imposing man with purple hair and piercings leaned towards him. "Both those cokes for you?" Kurt could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"N-n-nein! Er, No! I'm here vith my boyfriend..." He hazarded a nervous glance at the crowd, but he couldn't see Todd anywhere. The older man put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Howabout comin' home with me? We can wash that body paint right off and..." He moved his hand. "What the hell? You're..." Kurt tensed at the feeling of this foreign hand, and turned, ready to abandon the cokes and run. The man grabbed Kurt's tail and yanked. "And this is...!"

Kurt's whole body convulsed in pain, and he let out a yowl.

"What the hell! This boy's some kinda demon!" The man's shouts were mostly drowned out by the music, but several people stopped and stared at the cringing Kurt. He felt desperately for his inducer... But Tabitha had taken it! What could he do...

Todd had arrived to find Kurt trapped by some purple haired idiot, and with Todd already on edge, it did not go well with someone calling his boyfriend a demon. So it made perfect sense when Todd's fist connected with the mans face.

"Get your fucking hands offa him!"

The blow was enough to make the man let go of Kurt's tail, though not enough to seriously hurt the man. It was then that Todd's natural talent for lying kicked in.

"Do you know how many effing hours it takes to glue that tail onto his back properly? A LOT! And it HURTS when you pull at it you douche!"

Now rocking on the balls of his feet and taking a fighting stance, Todd jeered at the man.  
"No wonder yah were pickin' on my boyfriend, yer too drunk tah even figure out the difference between a real tail and an accessory! Why don't you go home yah bastard, and not ruin the night for the rest of us!"

He searched the crowd quickly, finding Tabitha in the crowd, he motioned towards Kurt. A quick sign that said 'get him outta here'.

Tabitha saw Todd's sign, and ran over. "Oh, blue-boy, you okay? Let's get you out of here... SECURITY!" She yelled at some guys standing by the wall. As they sidled up, Kurt saw what Tabitha had planned. As she ran past the drunk and reeling man, she had shoved a little explosion in his pocket! Just when the bouncers entered the circle, the little light-bomb in the man's pocket went off. There was chaos as he fell to the ground, pants blown off, and butt singed. Tabby grabbed Todd by the arm, and tried to get them out... but in the confusion, she became separated from them.

"Todd, did you see where Tabitha went?" Kurt called, hanging on to Todd for his dear life.  
"Nah yo, but Boom-Boom can take care of herself. We need tah get you outta here before they figure out this isn't a costume!"  
Grabbing Kurt's arm tightly, he pulled them towards the exit. After digging through the other dancers that were now trying to find the cause of the explosion, they finally reached the door.

As they stepped out into the cool night air, Kurt staggered to a full standing position. He was still rubbing the small of his back, getting his tail yanked like that, especially by a giant, drunk, tough guy really hurt. They got a ways away from the club before ducking into an alley to take a breather. Kurt leaned up against the cool brick wall. "Hey... thanks for the save, dude..." His tail hung between his legs. "Sorry everything ve do together seems to end badly..."

Todd put his head to the cold brick of the wall, only a foot or two away from Kurt.  
Giving the other boy a regretful look, he said, "It's just as much my fault dawg, if I hadn't yelled at choo, you wouldn't 've needed to leave, and you wouldn't have met up with the purple douche. I'm sorreh."

Todd sighed and turned his attention back to the wall, slightly grateful for the chance to cool down, since just a moment ago the heat had been unbearable.  
Kurt looked over at Todd with a tender look in his eyes. "It's not your fault, man..." If I didn't look like this... ve could have just called security in the first place, vith no trouble..." He took a tentative step towards Todd. "Y-you... you don't have to be ashamed, you know..." His stomach turned in knots. "I mean, I have scars, too..." He gingerly took Todd's hand from where it hung at his side. He traced Todd's fingers along one area of his exposed midriff. Under the soft fur, there was a clear, gnarled line of scar tissue. "This is from when a local farmer tried to attack me for 'hexing his crops'... I mean, maybe he thought I vas an animal, but a thrown pitchfork leaves a mark no matter what you are..." He smiled. "See? Nothing to be ashamed of!"

Todd moved his head off the wall, giving Kurt a somber look.

"Do mine look like they were caused by accidents or misunderstandings yo?"

He gave a sigh, and stepped towards the other boy. Gingerly, he put his hand on Kurt's waist, and let his fingers trail over the hidden scar.  
"That bastard. He shouldn't have hurt you, you're better than any of us."  
His face turned dark with anger, "Fucking superstitious farmers, fucking drunks, they don't recognize something beautiful when they see it."

Kurt slid his hand under Todd's chin. "No… You." He leaned down, looking eye to eye with Todd. "You don't recognize something beautiful… Yourself." He let his hand run, down Todd's body, to rest it on the other boy's hand. "You're clever, quirky, brave, funny, not to mention totally adorable... and you always stick up for the ones you care about... And that, Todd, is beautiful. You... are beautiful... Scars and all." He gave a tender smile, and kissed Todd gently.

Todd wished he could tell Kurt he was wrong, but the way Kurt said that felt so wonderful, so different from anything he'd been told before.  
Todd had known his feelings for Kurt for sure earlier that day, and he found himself wanting to repeat his confession.

He let their lips part slowly, and started whispering. "Kurt, I...I really..."

Todd couldn't say it, as true as it was, he just couldn't get the words out. He sighed sadly and pressed his lips to Kurt's for another moment, then he buried his head in the boys shoulder.  
"You're amazing."

Kurt grinned. "No, you." He wrapped his arms around the younger boy's shoulders, and held him close. His heart overflowed with feelings for the strong, brave boy, now seeming so small and fragile in his arms. He wanted to hold Todd like this forever...  
Todd just let himself lay there on Kurt's shoulder for a while, it should have felt awkward after a while, but somehow it only felt...right.

He would have stayed there in Kurt's arms all night, if not for the cold breeze that passed by, making Todd shiver violently.  
_Sweat and cold don't mix, yo._

"Hey Fuzzball, yah think we can start walkin' home? 'S cold out here."  
Kurt abruptly let go, muttering apologies. "S-sorry, you don't really notice the cold vhen you're vearing a fur coat at all times..." His mind told him that but he wanted to spend as much time as he could. He took Todd's hand. "Okay... let's go."

Todd smiled and walked alongside the other boy. The streets were surprisingly empty for a Friday night, and Kurt didn't even need to turn on his inducer (which Tabitha had somehow snuck into Kurt's pocket in all the confusion). They went along in a comfortable silence, until the sound of construction machinery and night-shift workers found their way to the boys. Todd gave a sigh and looked at Kurt.  
"Better turn on the watch, dawg."

Kurt nodded, and flicked the switch with some regret. His blue fur was immediately covered with pale flesh, and he wrapped his tail in its normal place around his waist. He still held on to Todd's hand, though. No amount of judgment would make him let go of that, now.

They walked by the construction site, the noise still loud despite it being late.  
Todd looked at it with interest, what were they building? Listening closely to the loud chatter of the workers, he tried to pick out bits of conversations.  
Greg did that last Tuesday, Rob had broken up with his girlfriend, and one man was complaining about the cold wi-  
Todd froze, he knew that voice. It was engrained in his memory.

His eyes flicked from face to face, searching for one particular per-there!

Todd's breathing became fast, and he dropped his eyes to the ground. He whispered to Kurt urgently "Fuzzy, get us home NOW."

Kurt looked at Todd nervously. "V-Vhat's wrong? Do you not feel vell or something?"  
Todd's eyes flicked up to Kurt, but he kept his head low, as if to hide it from the men behind the yellow 'warning, construction site' tape.  
"Please yo, ask later, bamf now! J-just get us to my room, or your room, it doesn't matteh!"

Kurt saw the fear in the younger boy's eyes, and the next moment, they were in his room at the mansion. Kurt threw his inducer onto the desk as he led the still shivering mutant to sit on his bed. "Are you okay? ...You look pretty shaken up..."  
Todd sat on the bed, trying to both calm himself down and figure out how to respond.  
"I-i-it's just. I mean...Havn't-gah!"

He got up from the bed, starting to pace the room, a worried and unhappy look on his face. He suddenly turned to Kurt.  
"Have you ever had someone do something really bad to you when you were a kid? Like really REALLY bad? And you think maybe it's your fault, or a misunderstanding, or something; but then something happens, and you think that you don't have to worry 'cause you'll never see that person again-" Todd started pacing again, eyes focusing on the floor. "-but then suddenly they just show up out of nowhere, and suddenly the first thought in your head is 'maybe I can make it all better'?" He turned to Kurt, a look of desperation in his gaze.

"Do you know what I mean dawg?"

Kurt looked away uneasily, running his fingers through his hair. The first thought to flash into his mind was his mother... but he just didn't have the heart to tell Todd that now... "Y-yeah, I suppose I know vhat you mean..." She goes and abandons me... but I just can't hate her... But I can't approach her either... He tried to turn away from those painful thoughts. Then something occured to him. "Vhat... Vhat did that man do to you, Todd?"

Todd looked hard into Kurt's eyes, struggling internally.  
"I...I don't know if I can tell you dawg. But the final point is that I got him put in jail when he didn't hafta be."

Todd plopped down on Kurt's bed, looking depressed and nervous.  
"And I saw him tonight for the first time since I was six. I want to talk to him, but what if he doesn't want to see me again?"

Kurt's eyes widened. "V-vas? How... Vhat happened between you and him?" He sat beside Todd, and put his hands on the other boy's thin arms. "If you vere that young... I'm sure it vasn't your fault! A-and he's out now, right? I know you can make it better if you just talk to him..."

Todd's eyes flashed over to meet Kurt's, his irises turned red from stress.  
"He didn't hafta go yo! I told on him! What if-"

Todd's face fell. "What if he thinks I'm a failure? I'm a mutant, I'm living with a bunch of punks, hell I AM a punk! What's there to be proud of?"

Todd suddenly started bashing his head with his fists, "STUPID, STUPID FROG! WHY CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?"

Kurt grabbed Todd's wrists. "STOP IT!" He shoved Todd down on the bed, and held him there until he stopped convulsing. "Don't put yourself down like that! Listen. No matter vhat your past is with this guy, there's no reason vhy you can't fix it! ... Does everything I say mean nothing to you? Vhy can't you see your worth?"

Todd looked up in shock, and trembling, he whispered, "Because you might be lying. People do that, a lot." Todd turned his head away from Kurt, his gaze bleary and unfocused. "Especially when you love 'em. That's what Dad taught me, and Momma proved it."

Suddenly the Professors voice sounded in Kurt's head, _Kurt? Is everything alright?_

Kurt closed his eyes in frustration. _It's fine! I have it under control!_ He curled his tail around Todd's hands so he couldn't start hitting himself again. With his left hand on the bed for support, he used his right to tilt Todd's face up at himself. "Todd. Look at me. I'm not lying. I won't..." His mind started. Todd had said 'especially when you love 'em'... did... did Todd love-He shoved that thought away for now. "You have to trust me. I vouldn't lie to you! Now... can you tell me vhat's wrong?"

In the other corner of the house, Charles Xavier was trying to stay calm. He had felt Todd and Kurt arrive, both somewhat distressed. He had ignored it at first, after all he didn't want to interfere with things that were just their business. But a few minutes later he felt a spike of emotion in Todd's tangled psyche, violent notions mixed with deep buried memories to create a maelstrom of dark thoughts. Despite Kurt's answer, Charles was sure that this was NOT under control. So he tried to soothe back Todd's thought as best he could, though it was impossible to hold it all back without hurting the boy.

Suddenly feeling calmer, Todd looked up at Kurt whimpering softly. "I can't, yo, I can't tell on him again. He'll already hate me without makin' it worse."

He tried to get his hands out of Kurt's grip , but the tail held fast. "Leggo Fuzzy."  
Kurt shook his head. "No, you have to calm down first. ... you don't have to tell on him for anything... You don't have to do anything you don't vant to, but..." He looked at Todd beseechingly. "If you don't tell him now... who knows vhen you might get your next chance to make things right? ... and besides... vhateveh it is happened... I'm sure it vasn't your fault..."

Todd stopped fighting the grip Kurt had on him, and looked into the blue mutants eyes. He asked hesitantly, "D-do you really think that Fuzzy? That it'll be okay if I talk tah him?"

Charles Xavier gave a sigh of relief. Todd's mental state had leveled to the point where it was no longer dangerous to the couple. Though the threads that had before been lost deep in his conciusness were still disturbingly close to the surface.

"I... I don't know what happened, Todd... But vhateveh it is... I'll be there, okay? If it starts getting bad, I'll just 'port us out of there, alright? If you vant to talk to him... I'll take you back there." He released Todd's hands, and stood. "Hey, I'll get you a coat, and ve can go, okay?"

Todd shook his head, "N-no, not tonight. I...I can't do it tonight. And I gotta do it alone, please I just...I need tah do this by myself, or I'll lose the nerve right in fronta him."

Todd slowly pulled himself up from the bed, ending up standing next to the other boy. He looked at Kurt for a moment, scared to ask the next question, but also feeling like he needed to.

"Kurt, do you love me?"

Kurt's eyes widened. His stomach turned flip-flops. He felt totally speechless. _Vhy is Todd asking this kind of question right now? How could he ask this kind of thing totally out of the blue, after they'd been dating only two weeks!_ And... How could Kurt even know what Todd meant by that? What does it even mean to love someone? Want to have sex with them? Check. Enjoy their company more than anyone elses? Check. Trust them completely? ... Well, Kurt couldn't say that for sure just yet, but he could say one thing, one completely true thing...

"More than I've ever loved anyvone in my whole life."

Todd let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, and he pressed his head against Kurt's chest.  
Speaking in a soft tone, he said,

"Me too."

Standing there, with the boy he loved-who even loved him-leaning on him... Kurt wrapped one arm around Todd's thin back, and buried his other hand in the boy's soft hair. He could feel the tears slicking down the fur on his cheeks. As he tried to suppress the sobs, he knew. _Even if Todd is messed up, even if he has some deep scars... It doesn't matter. I love him..._


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! Skchuu team here! In the last chapter, one of our darling, lovely, fantastic reviewistas asked why Kurt was crying. Well, numero uno, Todd was sad, so he was feeling sad, too. Numero dos, Todd just told him that he loved him! Kurt's never heard that from anybody but his foster parents, so... that was kind of a big deal.

As we mentioned in earlier fics, this is in RP style, with Kchuu as Kurt, Pietro, and a buncha other people (hell yeah boomboom!) and Sketchy as Todd, Lance, and a buncha other people. Enjoy!

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Kurt lay on his back, on his bed. His tail twitched nervously, and he glanced at the phone. The Saturday had been pretty average, with some normal danger room drills, and a bit of wilderness training with Logan. But Todd had promised to call Kurt that afternoon... and it was already ... He rolled over on his stomach, staring at the cordless phone he had brought up from the kitchen. He sunk his face into his arms, maybe taking a nap would help him get his mind off of- The phone rang loudly, jerking his head up. Kurt picked up halfway through the first ring. "H-hallo?"

Lances voice growled through the phone. "Fuzzball, just the bastard I wanted to talk to. What the hell did you do to Todd?"

"V-vhat? Vhat are you talking about?" Kurt's blood ran cold. "Vhat happened to Todd?"

Miles away, Lance's face turned into a confused frown. "Shouldn't you know? Tabs said something about you two hanging out a ton lately. An' since he was out all day and came home like...like that. We all thought you were the one who started all this crap."

"I haven't seen him all day! Vhat's wrong? I... I'll be there in a minute." The phone dropped to the bed, and Kurt was gone. Two bamfs away, and he was standing beside Lance. "Vhere is he?"

Lance jumped at the sudden explosion next to him, only calming down when the smoke cleared to reveal the blue mutant. "He's in the shower right now. Said something about trying to relax." He shifted to lean against the wall, looking in Kurt's direction, but not at him.

Lance was out of his league. In one day he had learned from Pietro that the 'bisexual' thing had come straight from Todd himself, so that meant he would have needed to talk with the boy anyway, but when the amphibian boy walked in, he didn't get the chance.

"He came in and just..." Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. It was too bizarre, Todd NEVER broke down, not like this. It was against the kids NATURE for crying out loud.

"Started crying."

Kurt's eyes widened. When Todd got sad, he usually put on a fake happy face. ...But to cry? Especially in front of people he wanted to seem tough for, like the brotherhood. He put his hand on Lance's shoulder. "Thanks for telling me! I... I'll try to make it better." He scampered up the stairs. Coming to a stop outside of the bathroom, he pressed his ear to the door. He heard the sound of a shower, and a fainter noise... sobs. He knocked on the door gently. "Todd...? Are you okay? ...can I come in?"

Lance watched the X-man run up the stairs, silently groaning.  
He was going to have to have a LOT of talks with Todd in the next few days, after all, he was the only one who could or would.  
And if he did nothing then, well, lets just say it could get messy.

Todd's head shot away from the shower wall he had been leaning on. Tears mixed with the shower water to run down his face, passing over the newly forming bruise on his cheek.  
"K-Kurt?"

Todd grabbed a towel off the rack by the shower and wrapped it around his waist. He didn't leave the shower, or open the curtain, or even plan to let Kurt in, but it felt less...awkward this way. He forced his lungs to take in air normally, then said just loud enough to be heard.  
"I'm fine yo. Just go home."

"Todd... please, can I come in? I know you're not okay..." Kurt pressed his forehead against the door, trying vainly to get closer to Todd. He wracked his brains for things that could have caused this... He opened the door a crack. The lock on that door had been busted since BoomBoom moved in... "Please?"

Todd peeked through the one open slit of the shower curtain. He could just make out the dark blue of Kurt's fur. His chest tightened, and he had to take a second to calm his breathing again.

He didn't want Kurt in here, but he didn't want him to be out there either. _Make up your damn mind yah reject._

Todd moved away from the split in the curtain. "Whateveh dawg."

Kurt opened the door, and closed it gently behind him. He leaned against the shut door, his eyes glued to the shower. "Todd... Did you... did you go talk to him today?" His tail twitched nervously, and he could feel his fur becoming damp from the steam.

Todd's hands clenched into fists at his side, and he focused his attention on the sudsy water running down the drain.  
"Yeah."

The blue boy padded up next to the shower. "How did it go?" He wanted to open the shower curtain, but Todd was in a delicate enough state as it was...

Todd could feel the other boys closeness to him, despite the curtain blocking Kurt from his sight.  
"Really, really bad."

Todd gave a short, barking laugh. Though it sounded more like a cry of pain than an actual laugh.  
"Guess you were wrong fuzzball, things didn't work out, an' they never will.'

_With good reason, you freak._ Todd flinched, seeing...The man who had now refused any relationship with him, had opened up his self-hatred back up to record breaking proportions.

Just when Kurt had managed to quiet them…

"Oh Todd... I'm sorry..." Kurt's head filled with a cloud of self-loathing. -How could you give him such stupid advice? It's clear that vhateveh happened hurt Todd more than you could know... Stupid, stupid, stupid...- He tried to recover things. "A-atleast... atleast you have closure now, right? Even though it didn't go the vay you vanted it to... atleast you had the courage to face him..."

Sighing, Todd stuck his head out of the shower, not even bothering to put on a fake smile this time.  
His hair dripped a soapy water on the floor, and his bruised cheek stood out against his pale skin.  
"Courage is over-rated dawg."

Kurt's eyes widened. "TODD? Vhat... Vhat's in your hair?" He looked frantically up and down the younger boy's emaciated body, covered in suds. "Mein Gott... You're... you're using soap? But von't that... von't that mess up your skin?"  
Todd tilted his head in thought, "I guess so."

_Just one more reason you're a total freak, a puny, smelly frog._

"I just got in the habit of scrubbing myself down like this after..." He hesitated, "Certain things happened, kept down infections an' stuff. I stopped needin' tah do it when I turned seven though."

He slipped his head back into the shower, putting it under stream of water.  
"Funny how I didn't remember my freak skin, stupid crap is too sensitive."

_C-certain things?_ Kurt's mind raced. He searched Todd's face, looking for answers... and only saw another question. "Vhat happened to your cheek? Did that man HURT YOU?" The fur on his back prickled in rage, and his tail thrashed side to side.

Todd gave Kurt a numb stare.

"He's done worse, I probably deserved it anyway."  
Todd scrubbed at his hair, trying to get out the remains of what he could only assume was shampoo. He couldn't remember actually putting it in his hair, but he wasn't able to remember a lot of stuff when he was this stressed.

Todd started mumbling, more to himself than to Kurt. "What did I expect anyway? A hug and an 'It's okay Todd'? Yeah sure, maybe if Mom came back and I stopped being some amphibian monster."

Kurt reached out a tentative hand, and placed it on Todd's back. "It's not your fault... Ve can't help the way we're born! I vas born blue and fuzzy, and you have strong leg muscles and webbed hands! that's just the vay we were made..." Suddenly, something occurred to Kurt. 'If Mom came back...' "Vas the guy who hurt you... your father?" Kurt's face contorted with concern, and sadness. _Is this the common trend for parent reunitement? Depression and a smack in the face?_

Todd's eyes flicked over to Kurt, his face contorting to hold back the tears that were again forming in his eyes.  
"Yeah."

Todd turned his attention to Kurt's hand, now placed on his back.  
"Please don't touch 'em. They're bad enough tah look at, you don't need to know how they feel too."

Kurt quickly jerked his hand back. He hadn't even realized what he was doing. Pressing his two fingers to his head, he muttered something about himself being an idiot. Then louder, he spoke again. "Todd... Veren't you listening to vhat I vas saying last night? I... I love you. I love all of you... Every part... And..." His eyes flashed. "If you'll let me... I vant to touch all of you, too..." He allowed his eyes to drink in the full sight of Todd dripping, half-naked, only wearing a towel... Scars or no scars, Todd was fucking adorable, and he needed to realize that...

Todd turned the water to the shower off. Holding his towel in place, he got out of the shower, dripping on the tile.

A few mere hours ago, Todd would have leapt at what Kurt was suggesting.  
But a few mere hours ago, he had thought he and his Dad could become a family again.

He just...He just didn't want to bother anymore. It hurt too much to care.

"And then what? I let you see every damn scar on my body, we fuck, then call it a night? Great plan, 'specially since in ten minutes I'll be bleeding on everythin' 'cause of the damn soap."

Kurt felt a sharp stab in his heart. He'd never seen Todd act so... callous. Normally, something like that would cheer him right up... "S-sorry... maybe I was being too forward... Look, I know things didn't work out vith your father the way you wanted... but... If he hurt you like that... Maybe it's better that he isn't in your life! Knowing vhere your father is, knowing who he is... That doesn't mean that having him in your life is vhat's best..." He thought of his mother, and his stomach dropped. "Now, is there something ve can do to get that soap off of you before-" 

Todd whipped around his head to glare furiously at Kurt, and hissed out, "He's my DAD! I WANT him in my life. And until yesterday I thought I'd never see him again. Hell, he wasn't even supposed to get out of jail for another few years!"

Kurt grit his teeth. -You really can't do anything right, can you...- "I get it, I get it... I really do..." He almost considered blurting out the truth about his mother... but with the state Todd was in now, who knew what kind of damage he'd do with that information? He'd hurt Kurt enough already...

Todd turned away from Kurt, beginning to mutter again. "If it wasn't for that stupid teacher and me being a fucking tattle-tale, I wouldn't even have this problem. We'd still be living together and I wouldn't have ended up in some shit orphanage for eight years."

"But... vhat did your father do? To be put in jail for that long..." Kurt knew he was treading on thin ice... But he had to help Todd, somehow...

Todd, who had grabbed a towel and was trying to get the water out of his hair, stopped for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should tell him.  
He looked at the blue mutant. Hadn't he admitted just yesterday that he loved him? And visa-versa? And Todd was giving him the cold shoulder, even though all he wanted to do was help.

Todd sighed. Kurt wouldn't keep something like this from him if he asked. He needed to return the favor.

"My Dad had one of his drunken rages, smashed a beer bottle over my back a couple of times. Caused a couple of the scars on my back, and Mom had left by then, so the only thing I could think to do was to clean them the best I could. And since I was six, soap seemed like a cure all."

Todd turned away, staring at the fogged up mirror behind the bathroom sink. "A few days later I went to school, feeling like I was burning up. I ended up collapsing during recess. Turns out the cuts were infected."

Kurt let out a whimper. _Infected? That's horrible..._ "Geez, Todd... vere you alright?"

Todd gave a small smile. It was so like Fuzzy to worry over him, even when the problem had happened years ago.  
"I was fine dawg. They got me to a hospital and pumped me full of anti-biotics. Got nasty scars, but nothing else really."

He gave a long sigh, moving his gaze to the floor. "But they saw my back. I had most of these scars by then. I felt sick and wasn't thinking, so  
I told them the truth about where the cuts came from. And then child services took an interest in me an' my dad. An' then some lawyer dude wanted to represent me or something."

Todd's hand went up to rest lightly on his nose. "An' let's just say it really made his case when the supposed 'abusive parent' broke his kids nose and tried to strangle the kid right in front of both him and a child service worker. He was charged with child abuse, assault, and attempted murder. Not sure which he was convicted with, but all that somehow combined and made fifteen years. But I guess he got off for good behavior or something."

"And you vent back to see this guy? After he did all that to you?" Kurt was shocked. He couldn't understand how Todd could find it in his heart... to forgive his dad like that... The rage that had been lying dormant in his chest flared up again, suddenly. "And how could they let a guy like that out of jail... hurting a child... that's the worst!"

Todd gave a sad look at Kurt, and started to dry off his upper torso as he said, "My Dad had problems man, I just made it worse when I drove Mom out. He didn't have anywhere else to let it out, and since it was my fault anyway, I just took it."

Todd gave a dark chuckle. "That's all freaks like me are good for anyway. Stress release. Doesn't matter what happens during the process. You've heard me say it before Fuzzy, No one cares."

Kurt lowered his head, shaking with fury. "H-how could you say that, Todd... how could you say something like that... WHEN IT'S SO CLEAR HOW MUCH I CARE! Vhat does that make me? A no one? Do you think I hang around you for stress release?" His voice cracked in frustration. He was trying so hard to get through to the boy... and was ignored at every turn... When his voice came again, it wasn't a shout... but more like a strangled cry, thick with hurt. "I know you've been through some terrible stuff... But it's not your fault... so just stop... stop blaming yourself for everything..."

Todd whipped around to face the other boy, teeth set and eyes turned red. " Of course what yah say means something! But what my Dad thinks about me matters too, and at least I've know he's thought that for more than two measly weeks! It makes more sense that the one who knew me longer, knows me betteh!"

Every word felt like a knife in Kurt's heart. It had only been two weeks, hadn't it... but it had felt like longer, much longer. "Oh really? What does your dad know about you? Does he know your favorite movie, or your favorite food? Does he know that you're a great artist, or who you hang out with, or even what grade you're in? he didn't even try to find out where you lived! How could you say that he-"

"SHUT UP!"

Todd's open hand connected with Kurt's chest, shoving the older boy against the wall behind him. Todd acted on instinct, following the boy and throwing his fist full force at his face.

A loud noise of flesh hitting flesh sounding out.

Bloodied hand now limp at his side, Todd suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and his eyes shifted back to their amber color.  
-What did I just do?-

Kurt stared at Todd with wide, terrified eyes. A line of blood trickled darkly out of one nostril. He took a few uneasy steps backwards, his eyes slowly filling with tears. He fell against the bathroom wall, his face a mask of hurt and confusion.

And then he was gone.

Todd sank to his knee's. He had just hit the person he loved, enough to draw blood. One angry moment, and he'd just lost control. He'd...He'd become abusive.

There was no way to take it back, Kurt was gone, and he wouldn't come back. Though maybe that was for Kurt's own good.

Staring at the small amount of blood on his hand, Todd wondered when he'd become so much like his father. 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Skchuu team here! This chapter is pretty sad :[ Kchuu is a very dramatic Kurt. (Partially because I've had some rough experiences similar to what the fuzzy dude is going through here, and it's kind of cathartic :[ Please go easy on me) For those of you who don't know, Cain Marko is the Juggernaut, aka, Prof X's bro.

Isn't Sketchy an awesome Professor X? And Kchuu is Kurt as always. Wow, we're really cranking out the daily updates! All Kchuu is doing is betaing them, so we can publish a chapter as fast as she reads one. Hope you like this one! Enjoyyyy!

Chapter 4

Kurt's heavy-lidded eyes gazed at the ceiling. He lay on his bed, utterly unmoving. He hadn't left his room for days. When the others called him to go to school, or to practice, he made excuses. Faked illness. And when they heard Kurt's voice, ragged and hoarse from crying... they left him alone. He felt like his heart had been hollowed out from the inside... Nothing seemed worth getting out of bed for. Kitty had brought him food a few times, but he hardly touched it. He wasn't angry, he wasn't interested in any kind of revenge... he just felt numb.

The door opened to reveal the Professor waiting outside. He rolled his chair into the room, and softly pushed the door closed behind him.

"Kurt, I believe we need to talk. I suspect that your recent behavior has something to do with Mr. Tolensky. Is that true?"  
Kurt made an effort to sit up. He hadn't eaten in days, and his fur was greasy and unkempt. Sleepless nights staring at nothing had left his eyes with dark rims, and overall... he was in pretty bad shape. He made eye contact, then broke his gaze away in shame. In a hoarse voice, he whispered a quiet "Yes."  
Charles sighed and interlocked his fingers in front of his face. He gave Kurt a quick look over. The teen was, to put it lightly, sickly looking.

_All this was partially my fault._ the older mutant thought to himself. _I should have made sure Kurt would be prepared for if this relationship didn't work. Though his reaction seems far too extreme to be a normal break-up…_

"Will you tell me what happened?" he asked softly.  
Kurt clutched his knees to his chest, and hid his face in his arms. He wanted to tell the professor what happened, but he couldn't find the words. He was afraid that if he spoke it out loud... He'd have to face it for what it was. He let out a small whimper. _You can just see for yourself..._ He began beaming the memory at the professor in a dark, twisted cloud.  
Anger, sadness, and the horror of someone you love hurting you.

Charles wished he could have seen this coming, to save his student the pain of this; but love was unpredictable, anything could have happened, good or bad.  
Kurt was simply unfortunate enough to experience the bad.

"I'm sorry Kurt. I know that hurt you in more ways than you can count." He gave the boy a sad stare. "But you can't continue to just stay in your room like this. Your friends are worried, not cleaning your fur could lead to health problems, and you need to eat before your metabolism starts to damage your organs."

Kurt's hoarse voice sounded again from under the curtain of his hair. "I know, sir... But it just hurts so much..." He realized what he was doing. Being open about his feelings. Letting others see inside of him... Things that would only lead to disappointment and betrayal. He shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, his face stony. "I'll go get cleaned up right now.."  
"Kurt, wait."

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose; trying to sort out the emotions from the facts in the scene Kurt had shown him. Todd had hit Kurt, but why? Something about the boys father?

"Please, you need to tell me exactly what happened. Despite any impression I may have gotten from meeting with Todd two weeks ago, it didn't seem like he would even consider doing something like this to you. What changed?"

Kurt's face was unmoving. "We vere walking home together, through the city... and vhen we passed a construction site... He recognized his father. His father vas sent to jail many years ago for... for abusing Todd..." his voice faltered, but he cleared his throat slightly and went on. "But he's out early... Todd went to see him... and it didn't go so vell..." His eyes flicked back up to the professor. "Is that all you need to know?"

Charles furrowed his brow. Kurt's mind was hardened, as if trying to keep anything and everything out. Gently reaching out with his own mind, Charles tried to sooth the bitterness that created the barrier.

"That doesn't explain why Todd hit you, Kurt."  
"I vas trying to talk him out of meeting up vith his dad again... I said that sometimes just because somevone's related to you... doesn't mean it's healthy to live vith them, or try to see them all the time..." His face broke into a bitter smile. "You know that as vell as I do..." He thought of Mystique, and the Professor's cruel brother, Cain Marko. "Vell... Todd said some cruel things, and then I wouldn't give in... and he..." Tears began welling up again.  
"Hit you." Charles finished, while trying to calm down the boys mental waves of sadness.

Xavier lost himself in his thoughts for a moment. No wonder Todd's mentality had felt similar to Cain's, they had both been abused as children. Though it seemed Todd had decided to bury it underneath new thought processes, while Cain had let himself be ruled by the pain and hate he'd developed. It was a wonder that Todd wasn't much, much worse than he was.

Bringing himself up from his contemplation, he looked back at Kurt, "What Todd did was wrong, there's no question. But I doubt he has much control over himself right now."

Charles looked sadly at the floor, "I know the mentality of abused children Kurt. If they're hurting, inside or out, they'll express at the first opportunity. Sometimes by hurting others."

Kurt nodded. "I know..." _but that doesn't make it hurt any less..._ He bit his lip. Maybe he was being silly... Maybe if he only talked to Todd again… _No, stop. you can't start going down that track again... If he vas angry enough to hit you... He probably doesn't vant to see you again any time soon..._

Whether or not he knew it, Kurt was projecting his thoughts, and Charles could 'hear', every word.  
As much as he hated to admit it, Charles didn't know what to do. Kurt was hurting, Todd was most likely hurting in a different way, and there was no easy way to make it better. If it was possible at all to make it better now...

"If you feel like you're not ready to go to school yet, that's fine. But please try to take care of yourself, if nothing else. And should you feel a need to talk to Todd about what happened, feel free to ask someone to go with you, or even ask him to come here."  
Kurt's eyes flashed before turning back to stony stillness. "I don't think that vill happen, Professor... Thank you, though..." He stood, and walked mechanically towards the door. "I'll go get cleaned up right now..."

Charles sighed, and watched the young mutant begin to leave.  
"Alright ,Kurt. But for what it's worth-" Charles sent a piece of the images he'd been shown moments ago back to Kurt, a picture of the shocked look on Todd's face right before Kurt had teleported. "I don't think he meant it."  
Kurt stopped for a moment, his hand on the doorjamb. It seemed like he was going to say something, but he kept quiet, and left.

Todd stared at the ceiling. He'd just stayed in bed for the past few days, not talking, and only eating when his natural reflexes acted up by catching a passing insect.  
Lance had come in a few days ago, wanting to 'talk' about things.  
Todd had ignored him, even when the floors had started shaking.

It seemed like everyday Tabitha, Freddy, and Lance would come in and try to 'Talk' to him. But Todd would just stare at the wall and wait for them to leave. He just wanted to be alone.

Being alone meant you couldn't hurt anyone.

The only good thing that had happened the past few days was that Pietro hadn't come in to bother him. Not that Todd could feel any happiness at that small victory.

Though the victory turned to a loss as a whooshing noise interrupted the silence.

"Heyyyy TOAD! Why're ya mopin around this place?" Pietro sped in, appearing inches from Todd's face. "What's wrong, yer gothy girlfriend dump ya or something? Or was it boyfriend? You never did tell your old buddy about that." He appeared on the other side of Todd. "So, what's the haps? She freak when she figured she's dating a messed-up frog boy? More importantly, Didja get any before she flipped?"

Todd gave a bleary stare at the other mutant, and somewhere in the back of his mind gave a witty retort.

But he didn't have the heart to get riled up over anything right now. So he said softly and tonelessly-

"Shut up, 'Tro."

"Heyy, no need to be so sensitive! I mean, if ya got some, ya got some! I mean, it's good that she leftya then, it sucks when chicks get all emotional after you 'do it.'" Pietro made exaggerated air quotes. "But really Toad, sometimes guys like you are better off alone. Now, if you really wanna hook a fine lady, you gotta start dressing better. And showering. Not to mention brushing those teeth every once in a while. And if you really wanna get back together with that slut, just go talk to her! Slick your hair back, wear a clean shirt! She'll jump back into your arms! Trust me, girls are easy like that."

THAT caused a reaction.

Screaming in rage, Todd vaulted into the other mutant, catching him unaware and slamming him to the floor. Todd crouched over the boy, shaking him by the collar of his shirt. "'EASY'? Don't you DARE say that! If you wanna know what a fuckin' slut looks like, LOOK IN THE MIRROR, YOU ASSHOLE!"

Pietro threw up his hands in front of a suddenly scared face. "Relax, relax, buddy! Why are you gettin so mad all of a sudden? Trust me, just put on a nice face and she'll come right back to you, chicks always do that! Trust me, I know... And hey, maybe from experience! If she's a worthwhile dame, I've probably already banged her!"

"You BASTARD!"

Todd raised a fist to bring down on the speed-demon, and started to send it down with as much force as he could muster. But a flash of a horrified blue face passed before his eyes, and at the last second he diverted the blow to the floor beside the silver-haired head.  
Todd heard a crunching noise, but he didn't know if it was from the now cracked-wooded floor, or from his now hurt and bleeding hand.

Pietro took this opportunity to roll out from under the seething boy. "Yeesh man, cool it! I'm just tryin' to help you! Geeze, some people are so ungrateful!" He whizzed out of the room, honestly a little frightened of the surprising strength Todd had aimed at his face. _She must be some girl..._

Todd watched as his hand seemed to convulse when he moved it off the floor. Muscles spasmed from pain and protested the movement.  
Todd couldn't register the pain though. He'd almost hit Pietro hard enough to break the boys jaw. He'd almost lashed out just to get rid of the anger he felt. He'd hit Kurt like that.

And he'd almost done it again. 


	5. Chapter 5

Skchuu team here! Kurt and Todd cry a lot in this chapter. That is all : P

Chapter 5

His tail hung down over the side of the branch, and he had his inducer off because no one ever came this way during class. If someone came, he could just port, and besides... he was pretty well hidden in the leaves for someone who wasn't looking. Kurt's stomach hurt. It was bad enough that he'd had to go to school that day... Slacking off and skipping a full week left him with hours of make up work... and today was the day he had fourth period art.. No way in hell he was going to that art class. It hurt to THINK about Todd, much less see him... Might as well take a nap. He let his eyelids flutter closed, trying to think about nothing and drift into sleep.

The dreams came quickly, and terribly. He was running down a hallway, away from something that was chasing him. Kurt tried to teleport, but it was useless. As the monster got closer and closer, Kurt got more and more frightened. Finally, he was up against a wall, and he realized- the person chasing after him was just Todd! He felt a momentary relief, and then jolted awake. It felt so real... He could see him, hear him, smell him... just as if he were really here! In fact... that smell was really realistic... He looked at the clearing under his tree in surprise.

Todd leaned against one of the trees, fumbling with his cigarette box. Trying to get out one stick while wearing a hand brace wasn't easy.

Despite his yellowish teeth, Todd didn't smoke often. It was more of a stress release than anything else; on a bad day he might skip a class and smoke one or two.

He'd smoked almost a whole pack in just the last few hours.

After Todd had hurt his hand yesterday, Lance had finally gotten fed up with the amphibian boy's attitude. The Rock Tumbler had dragged Todd out of his room, gotten Todd a spare spandex hand-and-wrist brace (Pietro kept them around for sports injuries), and quite literally shoved a bagel down the froggy kid's throat. Lance had then yelled at him that he was going to school the next day, whether he wanted to or not.

So here he was, waiting in the woods until fourth period ended. After all, just the thought of seeing Kurt after...After what He'd done to him...

Todd's heart ached in his chest.

He managed to get one of the few cigarettes left into his mouth. Finding his lighter and sending up the flame with a 'click', he put it to the end of the cancer stick, taking a deep drag from it.

He tried to empty his head, focus on the slight burn in his lungs instead of the painful constriction of the rest of his chest.

A look of horror passed across Kurt's face as he set eyes on the very subject of his nightmare. Trying to jerk into a sitting position, he fell off the branch. He grabbed frantically for a hold with his tail, but it was in vain. He hit the ground surprisingly quickly, for being about feet up. And then there was darkness.

A sudden thud made Todd snap out of his daze, his eyes flitted to the source, it was a Furry blue- "KURT!"

Cigarette falling from his mouth and onto the damp grass below, Todd lurched towards the other boy. Landing on his knees beside the X-man, he used his good hand to very lightly shake him.

"Kurt? Kurt? Oh god, please wake up yo!"

Kurt's eyes opened slowly. He blinked twice, blearily, and then realized where he was. His eyes jerked fully open, and he pulled back from the other boy's touch. Something like a cry of pain escaped his mouth as he backed up into the tree. An expression between hurt and terror on his face, Kurt said nothing.

Todd felt like someone had stabbed a knife through his heart. He knew he deserved this, to have his... His ex-boyfriend be terrified of him. But a tiny part of him had hoped that Kurt would be able to forgive him, to kiss him and say everything was alright.

Things had been like that before.

Todd shifted from his kneeling position to a crouch, looking away from the other boy.  
He tried to think of something to say, but all he could think of was a question, one that covered more than just the fall. "You...You okay dawg?"

Kurt's stomach was in knots. He didn't know whether to 'port, run, or... or talk. Maybe something could be salvaged? He silently admonished his heart for having such a thought. Getting his hopes up (again) would only disappoint him in the long run... (again) Swallowing a hard lump in his throat, he spoke, a voice barely above a whisper. "I... I'm fine. I've fallen worse before..."

"That's good I guess. N-not good that you've had worse I mean, but that you're okay."  
Todd's fumbled with his words. Since when had it been so hard to talk to Fuzzy?  
_Stupid question._

He kept his eyes on the ground, not daring to look at the blue mutant. Who knew what kind of look he would get back.  
A glare of hatred, that fearful stare, or maybe that horrible look of not caring what happened to him from now on...

_I deserve worse._ he thought to himself miserably.

Kurt gave a kind of melancholy half-smile despite himself. "Yeah, I guess it is..." Normally he would have been laughing and joking about Todd's "eloquence," but... Kurt hazarded a glance up at the other boy. His heart immediately twisted. Todd had the saddest, most self-loathing face Kurt had ever seen him wear. A look of pity furrowed Kurt's brow.

Feeling the uncomfortable silence grow between them, Todd fidgeted… and let his eyes slowly trail to Kurt's.

Eyebrows knitted together, a soft frown on his lips, and yellow eyes that seemed to pierce Todd's soul. Todd's eyes immediately shot back to the ground.

Kurt was watching him, most likely remembering the last time they'd been together, and the things he'd done...  
It hurt to have Kurt's eyes on him.

"I...I guess I'll go now." He slowly got up from his crouch, eyes still glued to the ground. He stepped back to give the other mutant room to run, even though the teleporter didn't need it.

Kurt saw the boy break his eye contact almost immediately, his face crowded with the uncharacteristic signs of shame. This was the most upset Kurt had ever seen him... He felt his heart softening, but tried to stop it quickly. Standing, he spoke. "Yeah. Okay..."

A moment passed before the other boy turned to walk away. Kurt knew that if he were ever going to try and fix things, this was his chance. He didn't want to be hurt, but... He didn't want things to end like this, either...

"T... Todd? ... Are... Are _you_ okay?"  
The Brotherhood boy stopped dead in his tracks.  
Kurt was worrying about the person who'd hit him for trying to help.  
No wonder this relationship had been doomed. Sinners and Saints didn't mix.

"No...H-...How could I be yo?" Todd felt his shoulders tense up, and tears gather just behind his eyes. "I hurt you. I...I'm..."

Todd had to swallow to prevent his words from turning to sobs. Slowly and softly, he croaked out. "I'm becoming the worst parts of my dad."

Kurt's heart melted. "It's... It's not like that, Todd... You're not like him... Y-you have a good heart, and..." his voice faltered. Why was he saying this? Todd had hurt him, when all he'd ever tried to do was help... Kurt should move on, get in a relationship without such drama, without having to worry... But... _but vhat, you dummkopf?_ ... Kurt's heart felt a pang.

"It's true you hurt me, but... No one's perfect, Todd. Don't... don't hate yourself for it, okay? Ve all make mistakes." Kurt silently cursed himself. Don't let others walk all over you, treat you how they want, pick on you... Even if... _Even if I love him...?_

"We all make mistakes." Todd echoed. "Not like this yo. Not like this."  
Todd looked back at the X-man, tears finally leaking down his cheeks.

"I-...I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Todd, really. It's fine..." He brought his eyes up to the boy's, an incredibly sad look on his face. " Thank you, but..." Suddenly, the scene played before his eyes again. But instead of the hurt filling him up again... There was only numbness. The crushing, nauseating numbness that made him feel like his chest had been carved out like a halloween pumpkin. His eyes deadened.

"I just don't know if I can forgive you, yet..." He cast his eyes to the ground, and walked a few paces into the woods, before teleporting away... leaving Todd alone.

Todd stood there numbly for a while, staring at the fading smoke that Kurt had left behind.

Wet streaks from tears shone on his face. and he couldn't help but tell himself that even someone as amazing as Kurt couldn't forgive him for this.

Rifling through the pocket of his jeans, he found the pack of cigarettes again.

Pulling one out and lighting it, Todd made smoke to replace the fading scent of sulfur.

Kurt reappeared a short distance away, in a treetop. With a few nimble leaps, he came to the tree he once rested in. Safely disguised by the leaves, he sat, and watched. Watched that boy he loved... once loved... still loved? Smoke one... two... three cigarettes, emptying the carton. Kurt would have given anything for a softer heart, one that could accept Todd back and make his life better... But he couldn't trust him, couldn't forgive him... couldn't risk getting hurt again...

Inside his safe defense of leaves, Kurt wept. 


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everybody! Sketchy and Kchuu here! Wassup? In this chapter, things go from bad to worse. Out of the frying pan and into the fire *wink*. (You didn't think it could get worse, did you?)

Hey, if you aren't already, we'd highly recommend checking out our other fic, Fractured Crusade. It's got older Kurt & Todd, along with Lance and Pietro and even Gambit and Rogue! There's no link between this story and that one, we just really like it so far and think you guys would, too! It's also got some NSFW, which we post on an alternate site... lol.

One other thing we wanted to say is, Thank you to everyone who's been reading & reviewing! We got the nicest note in the world the other day via PM... Thank you sooo much, Warcon! That was legitimately one of the nicest things ever said to us in our lives! We're really glad you like our stories, and hope you'll keep reading in the future :]

Again, thanks to everyone! And enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 6

The school bell rung one last time for the day, marking the end of seventh period.

Todd shuffled out of the English classroom and headed to the student parkway, Lance had said he'd wait up for him. Since Lance and Kitty had broken up (again) last week, he'd probably be waiting right in the jeep.

To Todd's surprise, not only was Lance waiting by the jeep, but so was Pietro.  
Pietro never went home in the jeep, he said it was too slow.

Approaching the other Brotherhood members, Todd asked in a hushed voice. "What's goin' on yo?"

Lance looked over at the youngest B'Hood member, and gave a mischievous smile. "Well, you've been pretty emo lately, so we decided to go have some fun."

Todd raised an eyebrow, "Fun?"  
Pietro, who was lying in the passenger seat with his feet on the dashboard, grinned. "Yeah! The best kinda fun- fun at the X-Geek's expense!" He looked over at Lance, who gave him a nod to fill Todd in.

"Y'see, the reason I always run home is because this car is too damn slow. But I figure that for those lame-o slowpokes, without a car to get to school, they'd be screwed! And Summers thinks he's so cool in that red Cadillac..." Pietro sneered in the direction of Scott, who was opening the passenger door for Jean. "So... We're gonna trash it... You in?" Pietro wanted to add in a snipey comment about Todd being too much of a pussy, but Lance had warned him to stay away from sensitive topics- and right now, pussy most certainly was one.

Todd's was surprised. They'd pulled pranks on the X-geeks before, but trashing Specs's car?  
"Well...I..."  
A month ago he would have been all for it, but a month ago he didn't care what Kurt's opinion of him was. Was this worth it? Would Kurt be disappointed? Would...

Would Kurt even care what he did anymore?

He looked up at Lance, the older boy had a concerned and wary look on his face. The Brotherhood would never be as close as actual Brothers, but right now they were all Todd had. Right now THEIR opinion mattered.  
At least, that's what Todd told himself.

"I'm in, yo."  
Later, when it was fully dark, the Brotherhood struck.

"So how are we gonna get in there, Pietro?" Freddy mumbled in the speedster's ear.

"SHHHH! Quiet down, Blob! I gotta focus to time this right!" Pietro hissed, motioning to the other boys to be quiet. Just then, the door to the garage where the vehicles were kept opened with a smooth hiss. Scott stepped out, and began pressing the lockdown code on the number pad outside. Freddy was about to say something else to Pietro, about maybe going now, but the boy was gone. As soon as Scott was a safe distance away, the door hissed open again, and the silver-haired teen was motioning the other boys inside.

The Brotherhood dashed silently to the large garage that held the X-geeks many vehicles. The red Cadillac was easy to spot among the other darkly colored rides. Lance approached it first giving it a quick look-over, then gave a sinister smile.  
"Todd, give me your lighter."

Todd blanched, taking the one dollar lighter slowly out of his pocket, "W-what are you gonna do yo?"

Lance snatched the lighter out of the frog boys shaking hand, and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we're just gonna burn off the seats 'n stuff. We'll put it out before it spreads to the house."

Lance flicked the small metal object, and held the small flame to one of the fabric seats. It caught on fire easily, and Lance stepped back to watch the flames spread all over the inside of the car.

Pietro laughed. "Let's make this a little MORE fun!" He ran around the car in lightning fast circles, whipping up the flames into a spiral shape. When he skidded to a stop, the flames were licking the ceiling.

"Uh oh, Pietro... I think you went too far..." Freddy said, as the ceiling began to blacken. Pietro's face turned from a sneer into a look of fright. "Yeah, no kidding captain Blob-vious! We'd better get outta here!" Pietro shoved Freddy towards a wall, and he burst out. Quickly zipping around him, the silver-haired speedster disappeared from sight.

Kitty, who had been reading a fashion magazine in bed, threw off the covers. It was just too hot in her room tonight.. She phased easily out her tall windows (easier than opening them), onto the ledge outside. Taking a deep breath, she smelled the fresh night air... Wait, no, that smelled like... SMOKE!

"LOGAN! Don't like, smoke outside my window!" She half-yelled, looking around for the nicotine-fueled mutant. But he was nowhere to be found. Instead she saw... "THE GARAGE IS ON FIRE!" She quickly phased through the wall to her left, waking the napping Kurt. "Quick, wake up! The garage is on fire!"

Kurt woke up with a jolt. His skin was cold and clammy under the fur, more nightmares... He looked up at Kitty frantically. "Really? Who would- I'll go now, you tell the others!" He quickly ported to the garage, appearing in a cloud of smoke near the outside of the flaming building.

Todd stared at the flames, which were totally out of control now. A single stray thought reached his mind, and he spoke it aloud.

"What happens when the flames reach the gas tank?"

Lances eyes bugged out of his head, looking at the flames burning the car, and they're path down the metal sides- "DUCK AND COVER!"

The boys scrambled out the open garage door, and just as they cleared the opening, a large explosion sounded, and a burst of orange flames licked quickly outside the garage, before dying out on the wet-with-dew grass.

Todd held his head, the noise had been so damn LOUD, it felt like his ear drums had been stabbed. He creaked open one eye to see how Lance and Freddy were, but the first person he saw was blue, fuzzy, and looking at the burning garage in shock.

As Freddy and Lance scrambled to get away, Kurt stood, staring at Todd, frozen. His mind was screaming at him to leap on the boy, catch him, and get him punished for what he'd done. But his body was frozen. It wouldn't move. He just stared at the younger boy, an expression of shock plastered on his face.

Todd returned the look for a moment, unable to escape the X-mans stare. But at the sound of another voice his he managed to snap out of his trance. Todd's eyes flitted over to the familiar voice, though he couldn't figure out what the person was saying ,his ears still ringing from the explosion. He saw Scott Summers come out, his mouth agape at the sight of the inferno coming from inside the garage. Summers then turned his attention to Todd, then Kurt. Todd didn't stay any longer than that.

Gathering his legs under him, Todd gave a bounding leap in the same direction Lance and Fred had gone earlier, and a few moments later, disappeared over the institutes wall.

"KURT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Scott's face was almost as red as his glasses. The Brotherhood had set the garage on fire, most likely destroyed their cars, and Kurt was just letting them get away!

"Why didn't you grab Toad?"

Scott turned to the others who had just run out.  
"Bobby, start trying to cool things down! Jean, try to keep the blaze from spreading to the house! Everyone else, get a hose, a bucket, anything, just get out this fire!"

Everyone ran to do their jobs, and Scott yelled out to Kurt, "Don't 'port if it won't do any good, help me get the hose on the side on!"

Kurt nodded, and ran to grab the hose. Soon, everyone was outside, trying to tame the blaze. Beast had some of the younger students (half of them Multiple) making an assembly line from the pool to the blazing building, and a team led by Scott directed a huge fire-hose. Soon, the conflagration died down. Everyone mingled, mourned the loss of their vehicles... and gossiped. Most of the older mutants were searching the ash for usable parts.

Kicking around in the dust halfheartedly, Kurt spotted something. Squatting to pick it up, he realized that it was Todd's lighter, badly singed, but... He flicked open the top. Still worked.

Scott walked up to Kurt, his face smudged with ash and still in his pajamas.  
"The Brotherhood did this right?" He looked angrily over to the garage. "Darn it, they went way to far this time. We can't let them get away with this."

Kurt flicked the lighter closed, and crammed it into his pocket. He had fallen asleep in his clothes, he realized. _I guess my sleep schedule must be off..._

"Y-yeah, definitely too far... So.. uh... Vhat did you have in mind?" Scott had wanted to get back at the brotherhood before... But they'd never screwed up something this big. Part of Kurt really wanted to get back at those boys for exploding part of their house... but part of him still didn't know if he could actually fight against Todd for real...

Scott gave a scowl. "If they hadn't done this at the institute, then I'd call the police. But with this being how it is, we can't do a ton. We should ask the Pro-"

A voice rang in the students minds.  
_It's all right Scott. Everyone can go back to bed now, we'll decide what to do about the garage tomorrow._

Kurt, grateful to not have to give a reply, 'ported back to his room. He felt sick. How could Todd have done something like that? He pulled out the lighter, flicked it open and closed a few times, and put it on his bedside. After a while, he slowly drifted to sleep.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

One in the morning was definitely NOT the time to be sneaking into anywhere, especially the place you almost burnt down mere hours ago. Yet for some reason, that didn't stop Todd from going all the same.

He had hopped the wall, a duffel bag in hand, and carefully tried to not trip any alarms while he made his way to the mansion's front door.

He reached the door and paused for a second, was he really doing this? Giving up all the money he'd collected from pickpocketing over the years, just to ease a feeling of guilt that he shouldn't even have? So what if he'd burned a bit off of their house and wrecked their cars, it wasn't like they were so low on cash that they couldn't afford to get them fixed.

But...It was the principle of the thing. Todd knew what he'd done was wrong, this was just his way of trying to make amends. He dropped the bag by the door, stuffed with crumpled ones, fives, tens, twenties, and even one or two fifties. All together it was around eight hundred bucks.

It wasn't enough, but it was all Todd had.

The amphibian boy turned and left the same way he'd come in.

Meanwhile, Charles Xavier was sitting in his study, a book on his lap, and a smile on his face.

_Well done Mr. Tolensky, well done._


	7. Chapter 7

Yo people, Sketchy here (for once).  
Okay, Four things, One: Do you realize how hard it is to come back and proofread a fic when it's not only embarrassing to see how badly you wrote then, but also because you just don't like to backtrack into it? IT'S HARD. But I really love you guys, so I took it upon myself to make sure this darn thing gets finished!

Two: Kchuu is the main editor of our stuff, but she has better things to do these days…No, I mean it, she's pretty swamped. So from now on you'll have to tolerate my sub-par editing.

Three: There are three (two since this one just went up) chapters of 'Like Father like Son'  
left. We do actually have a lot more than that written, maybe three more fics worth, but I don't wanna go to the trouble of editing it unless you guys seriously want to see it. So I don't care how you let me know, but let me know if you actually wanna see anything past LFLS.

Four: We kinda used a certain name for someone in this chapt that we used for someone else in Fractured Crusade. Don't be confused, the fics aren't related, we just use that name a lot in roleplay stuff due to…Well, any canon comic fans/WatXM fans will know.

Five: To readers of Fractured Crusade…Uh…Not very likely you'll begetting anymore chapters in that…Sorry. Kchuu and I dropped the ball a while back on that…It's hard to pick up those balls man, it's like it's glued to the floor.

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The gates to the Xavier institute were wide open. This was rare, since they didn't normally have a lot of visitors. But today, all kinds of visitors-a dump truck, cement mixer, and some sort of crane contraption, along with a whole lot of workmen and tools-were entering through the massive barred gates. The garage had to get fixed somehow, and this company was very reliable about keeping secrets.

Kurt sat in a tree overlooking the work project. He had helped set up with the morning crew, and was taking a short break. His eyes flicked over to the driveway, where Jean's rental car was just pulling in. Out of the back stepped four very disgruntled Brotherhood members, no doubt 'persuaded' into coming and helping out.

The Brotherhood boys hadn't been all that surprised when Jean had come to their house. Though it had been a shock to find that what she wanted was for them to come pay for the damages by 'helping the construction workers' fix the damage.  
Though he hated the idea, Lance had agreed to it. It was better to pay for it now and not have it come back to haunt them later.

Jean turned to the Brotherhood members, and gave a gesture to a table behind her.  
"Go over there to get your hard hats, then just ask the workers how you can help, and remember, no powers."

Todd moved towards the table nervously, looking around the construction site. Big burly men were carrying equally big wooden beams. Todd wasn't sure if he could be much help with that.

He sighed, he'd given up all his money, but he'd still have to work anyway.  
Though, somehow, he was okay with having lost his savings. He'd done the right thing, he was sure of that, and it made him feel…good.

He and the other B'hood members all grabbed one of the yellow pieces of headgear. Then started looking around for someone to ask for instructions.

Most of the people around the site appeared to be doing a specific job, and Todd had a hard time trying to single out someone who could tell him what to do…The others could do lifting, and just asked the men already working, but he would need something a bit lighter.

One man over on the edge of the construction site seemed to know what was going on, though he seemed busy, he was talking to-

"Oh shit."

Todd ducked his head down, and franticly searched for a hiding spot.

There was a tree a few meters away, and at the base of it were some bushes. Trying to move slowly, as to not draw attention to himself, Todd backed towards the shrubbery. He ducked into it, silently cursing his luck for his recent discovery. 

Kurt's breath had caught in his throat when he saw Todd get out of that van. Immediately, his mind flashed back... His head hitting the wall with a sharp crack, the fist smashing into his cheek with uncanny force, the feeling of betrayal... When his eyes cleared, he saw the rest of the Brotherhood boys walking towards the construction site... But Todd was running right at him!

As Todd leaped into the shrubs, Kurt's disguised face hardened. -Dodging work already? It's you're fault, you should be over there...- The blossom of anger in his chest overcame the numb apathy he'd been floating in all day, and he leaned over the branch, hissing at the hidden boy. "Aren't you supposed to be vorking..?"

Todd gave a start, and looked up to find-"Kurt?"

Todd's face went red with embarrassment for a moment, partially due to being caught hiding, partially because it was Kurt who had found him.

"I-I can't go out there yo! Isn't there some other place I can work? I'll scrub the freakin' jet with rubbing alcohol if I need tah!"

"Vhat, are you embarrassed? Because you left this at the crime scene?" Kurt said, slightly cruelly, pulling out Todd's olive-green lighter. He threw it down to the younger boy, and returned to a sitting position on the branch, looking away. "Because I didn't tell anyvone. You can just go over there and work without worrying." This would normally escape the fuzzy elf's lips with a tone of sensitivity, but his heavy heart reduced the sentiment to a near monotone.

Todd caught the small piece of metal, staring at it for a moment before realizing what it was. "My lighter? I didn't even realize I'd lost the thing. Thanks yo." Todd looked back up to Kurt, a small grin of appreciation on his face. But then he saw Kurt turned away, and he remembered how things between them were far from okay.  
Todd's expression sank to one of shame, and he looked at the ground.

He shifted to crouch inside the bush, his voice becoming soft as he said  
"I still can't go out there dawg, I'm not trying tah get outta work or nothin'. I just can't go anywhere near those guys, not alone at least."

Kurt tried to look uninterested, still facing away. "The X-Men? They von't hurt you, even if you are alone. I'll admit, Scott was pretty p.o.'d about vhat you did to his car... but me going with you vouldn't make any difference..." He closed his untouched lunch box, and hung it on a tree branch for later. Seeing Todd had wrecked his appetite, and he had to get out of there soon. Why, though, did it still feel uncannily natural to talk to him? Even when...

"I'm not afraid of Summers yo. An' I'm used to the X-geeks not likin' me. What I don't want is for...For..." Todd looked up at the blue mutant, fear and hesitation written all over his face.

"Please yo, just don't make me go out there alone."

Kurt, still not looking at the smaller mutant, leaped out of the tree. He landed in his normal posture, tail out, which looked odd with his disguise until he pulled the spaded appendage back in and straightened up. "Okay, I'll go with you. Vasn't very hungry, anyway." He started walking towards the tool station, not looking at Todd.

Todd practically dashed to hide behind Kurt as he walked. He kept a bit over a foot of distance away from the taller boy, but he ducked his head so most of his face couldn't be seen.

Todd muttered out a thanks, careful to not let his voice be heard by anyone but Kurt.

The 'director' of the construction was shouting orders left and right. But he noticed the two teens walking towards him. "Back from your break already?"

Kurt nodded, a huge, fake smile plastered on his face. "Ja! I was really hungry, so I finished early! What vould you like us to do next?" 

The director looked past Kurt to see Todd, scrunched up and hiding his face. "Well, neither of you seem like heavy lifters, but we have some guys working on nailing beams together, both of you can run nails to them when needed, an' just do any other odds and ends someone has for you."

The director looked at Todd again, frowning. Even without seeing his face, the small boy seemed...Familiar. 

Kurt saw a glimmer of recognition on the man's face, and intuitively ended the conversation. "Oh, nails, right, we can do that! Come on, let's go!" The goofy fake smile still on his face, he pulled Todd over to a bucket of nails by a supplies area a little ways away. As he filled his hands with nails, his face grew cold again. "Do you need to use me for anything else? Because it'll go faster if I take nails to the workers on the left side, and you take the right."

Todd lifted his face to check who was on what side...

Damnit.

"C-can I take the left side yo?" 

Kurt gave Todd a deadpan look. "Vhateveh. I don't care." He stood, cupped hands full of nails. "I'll take the right, then." He started to walk over to the workers. He was a little curious about what Todd's issue was, until he handed some nails to about the fourth or fifth worker. His eyes widened in shock, and a short, involuntary gasp escaped his throat.

Mortimer Tolensky turned to frown at the German student that for some reason was helping with the construction. His amber eyes glared at the teen.

"What? Stab yerself?"

Several yards away, Todd was scurrying from worker to worker, handing out nails as quickly as possible. The sooner he could finish this, the sooner he could find a job where he could work further AWAY from his father. 

Kurt smiled nervously, and pulled his cupped hands back. "Oh, ja, only a little, though! Sorry!" He scurried away quickly, not catching his breath until he was back at the nail bucket. -How could I not have realized?- He thought back to the night of the rave, where Todd had heard his dad... A construction site. -No VONDER he's acting strangely... His father's working on this project! ... but vhat to do...-

Mortimer, a bit off-put my the strange kids behavior, scowled and turned back to his work.

Todd had emptied his hands of nails, so he went back to get a refill.

But as he reached his hands into the bucket, he met ones that, though pale and smooth looking, felt like fur.

Todd's hands shot back, and he looked up to Kurt, who had apparently been thinking about something. 

"S-sorry dawg. Didn't see you." Todd took a nervous glance over his shoulder towards his father. If the man noticed him here...It would not end well. Not after what had happened the last time they had met. 

When Todd turned his gaze back from looking over his shoulder, Kurt's eyes met his for the first time. "I'm... I'm sorry, Todd. I didn't realize..." Kurt glanced at the muscled back of Mortimer. "I didn't realize -he- vas here..." All the painful emotions inside of Kurt were being overcome by an overwhelming sense of pity for the younger boy.

Todd took on a shocked look for a moment, then let it fade to a sad smile. "I guess we look alike, huh?"

The smaller boy dug his hands into the bucket, pulling out a large amount of nails.

"It's fine, if I can just get through all this without him seeing me, it'll be fine."

He gave a hesitant look to Kurt, as if he was going to say something more, but he dropped his gaze and went off to give the workers their nails.

So the work continued for the rest of the day. Kurt and Todd brought nails, fetched water, sanded boards, any odd job the director could think up. By the end of the day, with the help of the Brotherhood, the X-Men and construction crew had erected a bare-bones structure. It was bigger than the previous one, and more complex. A note on Beast's blueprint (he couldn't come help, of course), read "And why not upgrade it while we're at it?"

When it came time for the Brotherhood boys to go home (they'd decided to decline Scott's generous offer to drive them home, for fear of the X-leaders wrath, and simply have Jean drive them again), Kurt averted his eyes from Todd's and said nothing. 

While the other Brotherhood members got into the jeep, Todd hesitated for a moment, looking back at the disguised German. He plodded over quickly, and said in a low voice, "Thanks for...For helping me keep on the down-low, dawg. I know yah didn't have to, I... I really appreciate it.

Lance yelled from the car, "TOAD, GET IN HERE, WE CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT YOU, AND ALL WE WANT IS TO FRIGGIN' GO HOME!"

Todd turned, "I'm coming yo, I'm coming!" He gave one last hesitant look over his shoulder, and said softly, "Seeya tomorrow Fuzzbutt." before dashing to the jeep. 

Kurt's heart wrenched, but his face showed nothing as the car pulled out of the driveway. He hated to admit it, but... He had enjoyed being around Todd that day. It was a mere shade of the old feelings... But they had talked a bit, and the situation with Todd's dad had softened Kurt's heart... But the feeling he still felt above all was the deep numbness. The numbness was like an endlessly dark room... but a candle had been lit.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey again beloved readers, Sketchy here again!  
Wow, the number of reviews for the last chapter was great! I don't think Skchuu has ever had that many reviews for one chapter. Have I ever mentioned how much I love you guys?

Anyway, before we start the next chapter, I just wanna clear a couple things up.  
For one, some people took the 'not updating' thing to mean that Like Father Like Son might just end here….N-no, that's not what I meant. I'm like the rest of you, I read a fanfic, I get into it, then I die a little inside when I realize it's not/will never be finished. The reason this story is updating again is because I at least wanted this to be finished for it's watchers. LFLS will be finished, and soon, because after this, there's only one more chapter.  
The other thing I wanted to mention, and I'm sure Kchuu mentioned this on one of our stories before, the way we write is in roleplay format. Meaning we chuck out stuff pretty fast. We literally have enough material to make several more fics. However, our roleplay stuff needs to be heavily edited before we can post it, which is really annoying to do. That's why we keep having mini-hiatuses; we just plain hate editing.

So the thing I was asking was if people wanted me to go through the heck that is editing and get a few more stories, or just have it end. Because the 'Kickin' Butt and Savin' Frogs' series is LONG, and as we all know, a good fanfic series needs to know when to just stop.

But so far it looks like we're getting a pretty positive response for continuing! I'll wait 'till the end of 'Like Father like Son' to make a decision though. In the meantime, enjoy your regular dose of Kodd.

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Todd leaned against the leather seat of Jeans SUV, which had been lucky enough to be in an auto shop for a tune-up on the day of the explosion.

He dreaded going to work today. If his dad found him, then...

Todd really didn't want to think about that possibility.

The other B'hood members groaned as they pulled into the institute's driveway. And Lance muttered something about child labor being illegal.

Ignoring the other boys, Todd immediately let his eyes search out the construction site. Where was-there!

His dad was helping to put up the side planks that would eventually become a wall.  
As he hopped out of the car, Todd sent a quick prayer to whatever God was listening.

His prayer was quickly answered as he caught sight of a certain German teenager. 

The heavy bucket of cement mix dropped to the ground as Kurt took a moment's break. Wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of an equally sweaty hand, he cursed the fact that sweltering days like this had to exist in the same universe as his fur. Catching sight of the Brotherhood, Kurt couldn't stop a corner of his mouth from tweaking upwards. Numbness and all, it was too funny watching Pietro trying to walk slowly, and Freddy's hardhat resting delicately on top of his stiff mohawk. And of course... there was Todd.  
The corner of Kurt's mouth fell, and he quickly picked the bucket back up again.

Todd's thoughts on answered prayers faltered as Kurt's expression fell at the sight of him.

God it hurt to be near him, but right now Kurt was the only one he could rely on.

Todd walked up to the other boy, trying to ignore his initial urge to hop. He kept his voice low, and asked "C-can I hang wit' you again today, yo?" 

Kurt looked away. "J-ja, I guess... Err, can you help me vith this?" He looked down at the large white bucket filled to the brim. The metal rod was cutting into his hands, and his fingers were so slippery from sweat anyway that it was becoming very difficult to carry.

Todd's expression lit up at Kurt agreement, "Sure thing, man!"

He slid his fingers over the handle of the bucket, unintentionally brushing his fingers against Kurt's, though he barely noticed in his excitement of not needing to go through today alone.

He gently tugged the bucket from Kurt's grasp, and gave a little grunt at the weight of the object.

"I just need tah grab my yellow noggin protector before you-know-who gets intah plain view. Then we can go see the director, right?"

Todd knew he should be ashamed and acting more apologetic to the other boy. But right now he was so happy, because at least Kurt didn't despise him so much that he'd leave him to sink or swim. 

"Here, use this one." Kurt plopped his hat onto Todd's head, and pointed at where to put the bucket. He trotted over, and grabbed another hardhat from the table near the wall Mortimer was working on. He was glad that Todd seemed happy-wait, VAS?- Why should Kurt care about Todd's welfare? He didn't know himself. But even if he wasn't ready to forgive the other teen completely just yet... It was still nice to have someone to work with.

Todd watched Kurt leave to get another helmet, and under his own, Todd blushed.

He'd always known Kurt was different from most people he knew. By all rights the X-man should have never talked to him again after what happened… and after blowing up their garage, Kurt should have throttled him.

But he hadn't. Kurt had never tried to lash back at Todd for what he did, though he would have deserved it. Kurt had even protected Todd by hiding the lighter for him.

But...

Todd's expression fell, and he stared miserably at the ground.

Kurt had been afraid of him when Todd had shaken him awake at school, and it was obvious that the boy was being cold to him.

Todd knew Kurt well enough to know that the Fuzzy mutant would help anyone in need, even people he hated.

Hiding a single lighter and not letting his dad find him wasn't because Kurt liked him. It was because that was the kind of person Kurt was, kind and self-sacrificing.

Todd almost wished Kurt would just hit him instead.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X

The day progressed pretty smoothly. The boys did more odd jobs, and they avoided as much attention as possible. Kurt joked with the workers about how shocking it is that his pale 'skin' hadn't burned, and the disguised blue boy seemed pretty happy. Until no one was looking. Then Kurt's shoulders slumped, and his face wilted. At lunchtime, he returned to his tree, lost in thought.

Todd had avoided getting too much attention, though a few workers had asked if they'd seen Todd somewhere before. He would always just shake his head in response, a false smile plastered on his face. He didn't dare talk; they might recognize his voice better than the half-of-a-face he let them see.

Lunchtime rolled around, and Ororo brought out sandwiches for all the people who worked.

Todd had quickly snatched one, and hustled off to find somewhere he could be hidden.

Oddly, the only place he seemed able do that in was the bush under the tree Kurt rested in.

Todd didn't want to bother Kurt anymore than he already had today.

He walked a ways past the tree towards the entrance to the institute, and sitting on the doorstep he tried to eat his lunch.

Though when you're that nervous, it was hard to eat.

Todd was about to throw the rest of the food away, when a voice from behind startled him.

"Hello Todd." 

Professor Xavier sat in his wheelchair, which had been stopped just short of the step Todd was sitting on. 

Kurt saw Todd coming towards the tree, and prepared himself. But the younger mutant just walked right on by the tree. Onto... the doorstep of the mansion. Kurt watched him sit and try to eat, though it was clear he was having some trouble choking down a sandwich without wrapping his tongue around it first. Suddenly, the door to the mansion opened, and Professor Xavier emerged. Kurt watched them with curiosity.

Surprised, Todd dropped what was left of his sandwich onto the ground.  
"Um. H-hi man. Y-you want me tah get off yer stairs or sumin'?"

The Professor held a bemused expression, and lifted a dark green duffel bag that he had been holding on his lap.

"I believe this is yours?"

Todd's skin paled, and he tried to stutter out an explanation. "W-well I...I just didn't feel right about blowin' up yer stuff. It's not a big deal or nothin'."

Charles raised a single eyebrow, "To a boy who lives in a run down boarding house, and apparently owns almost nothing, eight hundred and sixty two dollars is 'not a big deal'?"

Kurt's mouth fell agape with shock. He knew Todd was a pickpocket (although having a supersensitive appendage on his butt had pretty much protected him from that) ... but he'd always thought Todd blew it on arcade games, or comic books or something. That he'd saved that much without spending it on himself was amazing... and then... to give it to the institute? It was clear that the Professor needed no help in the way of dough, but he still... Todd really wasn't a bad guy...

"I-I just..." Todd looked down at the stair he was sitting on. "I dunno, I guess I just didn't have anything I really wanted. But when we, yanno, exploded yer garage thing, it just felt wrong to...To just leave it like that."

Xavier felt a soft smile overcome his face, "I appreciate the gesture, but I couldn't use stolen money for something like this. I donated it to a certain orphanage I believe you're familiar with."

Todd's eyes shot up to meet the professor's, "What?...Why?"

Charles gave a small shrug, "It seemed like the correct thing to do. Whatever your opinion of that place may be, they still do have the best intentions of the children at heart." Charles set down the bag by Todd, and then leaned back into his chair. "What I really want to consult you about is your actions to Kurt several days ago." 

Kurt's heart sank. Listening to that conversation had pushed the painful memories to the back of his mind... But now that the topic had changed, all he could see before his eyes was the horrible event. Over and over. He cringed, squinching his eyes shut and grabbing the tree branch... but his sensitive ears still listened.

Todd's chest tightened.

He had been able to push the thought of that moment to a place where he could regret it without actually remembering it. But now that someone was talking about it in the open...

"I..I didn't...I didn't mean it...Really, I was just so angry...About a lot of things..."

He stared the Professor in the eyes, his own filling with hot tears of misery and shame. His voice cracked, "If I could take it back, then I would!"

Xavier felt Todd mentality go from nervous to a fray of tangled misery and self-hatred. Startled, he tried to soothe the panicked waves of emotion, and gently draw out the thoughts that Todd was losing in the tangle of feelings.

Todd wasn't sure how he managed to keep talking; it felt like his lungs weren't getting enough air, no matter how fast he breathed.

"I just...I just couldn't take it. Fuzzy was hittin' all the nails right on the head! My dad DOESN'T know anything about me! And he doesn't care either! I just wanted...I just..."

Even Xavier couldn't coax the rest of that thought out, not without making the boy break down completely. 

Kurt felt a lump growing in his throat. Of course what Todd did was wrong... but could anyone really blame him? He didn't react in the right way... but it was the only way he'd been conditioned to react when things got that bad...

Todd was looking really terrible... He was about to cry, in front of the leader of his enemy team. In front of the guy who had made Storm shoot lightning bolts at him! He was clearly devastated... and if Kurt couldn't forgive him... how could he forgive himself? 

Xavier shifted his focus from pulling out the thought out of Todd, to soothing and gently pushing away the thoughts that kept it from coming out. The thought slowly crept out on its own.

Suddenly feeling empty, Todd softly croaked out the last part of the sentence.  
"I just wanted...Both of them to love me...But only Kurt ever did, an' I chased him away."

He buried his head in his knees, and tried to ignore the hot drips of liquid that leaked out of his eyes.

Xavier sighed, slightly regretting making Todd say all of that aloud. But he had needed to be sure of Todd's feelings, and he had needed Kurt, who he knew was nearby, to hear them too.

"You're obviously in pain right now, would you like to go home early today?"

Todd, unable to speak, gave a soft nod.

"Alright, I'll ask Jean to drive you back to the boarding house." Xavier sent out a mental call to the redheaded telekinetic. Within a minute, she came over to collect Todd, not mentioning the boy's state of distress.

They both got in her SUV, ignoring the calls from Pietro of 'Why does the slimeball get to leave early?', and drove away.

Kurt worked the rest of the day with a heavy heart. That night, he laid awake, his brain unable to sleep... Until he decided. He would try his best to forgive Todd. That last, heartfelt confession had touched him incredibly... The only part that gave pangs to his heart was when the boy uttered, 'only Kurt ever -did-...' did he really believe that anything he could do would make Kurt stop loving him? It made Kurt -want- to stop... but nothing could change those feelings. Just like how Todd couldn't stop loving his father...

Kurt came to a revelation. If he abandoned Todd now, for one little mistake... how would that be different than what Todd's own father did? Kurt had to show him that some people were different. He had to show him that people didn't always abandon others for their mistakes... He had to let himself love Todd.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey people, Sketchy here again.  
Well, this is it. The final chapter of 'Like Father like Son".  
Wow, three fanfics to the series done now. Haha, and I still don't know if I wanna go through the rest of the material to make more or not.  
Well, at least this one was finished. Guess we'll just hafta see for the rest, huh?

Thanks to all of you who took the time to read this, and extra love to all our awesome reviewers! I can't get enough of you guys.

Well, enough of my babbling. On to the final chapter!

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Todd gripped the handle of the SUV, one tug and he'd open the door to a place he really didn't want to go.

He didn't want to face the few X-men that had seen the tears shining on his face the day before, he didn't want to need to stay silent and hidden all day so his dad wouldn't find him, and he didn't want to ask Kurt for his help again. It hurt too much when all the Blue mutant said was a emotionless 'okay'.

But He had work to do, and all those things needed to happen do it. So with a heavy sigh, he opened the door and got out. 

Hardly three steps away from the car, and Todd saw Kurt not far away. Giving another sigh, Todd plodded over to the boy, and gave a quiet greeting. "Hey Kurt." 

Kurt turned, and gave Todd a smile. Not his strongest grin... but a real, genuine smile. "Oh hey, Todd!" He said warmly, and pulled the younger boy into a gentle hug.

Todd gave a start. What was Kurt doing? Didn't the Fuzzball hate him full force yesterday? Wasn't Kurt supposed to say his cold 'okay' and move on? Wasn't...Wasn't...Wasn't Todd supposed to be hurting right now?

Todd couldn't help the swell of emotion building up in his chest. Kurt was touching him again; with the same tender feeling he had when they were first dating. It made Todd want to cry with happiness and relief, though he still had no clue why Kurt was doing this.

"H-Hi, man." Todd hesitantly put his arms around the other boy, holding him loosely so Kurt could pull away when he wanted to. 

Kurt gave a final squeeze, and then let go. The lift in Todd's mood was almost palpable, and it made Kurt happy despite himself. "So, you ready to get to work? The garage is almost done! Ve just have to work on the paint while the workers finish some things up inside!" He handed Todd a bucket of paint and a brush. "So... let's... as you Americans say... 'hop to it'!" He winked. Even Kurt was surprised at the cheerfulness he was able to muster.

Ever since his realization, things didn't hurt as bad. The dark room in his mind was being illuminated, little by little.

Todd blinked. Was Kurt forgiving him for what he did? It sure felt like that.

Todd knew he didn't deserve that, but he wanted it so much, so he didn't protest.

Giving a small laugh at Kurt's joke, he grabbed an unneeded hard hat from the table, and grabbed a bucket of paint waiting nearby.

"Let's do it, yo!"

Lance and the other Brotherhood members were painting nearby, but neither boy seemed to notice them.

The morning progressed pretty smoothly. Kurt made conversation easily with Todd, and the time painting seemed to go by pretty quickly. Some of the X-Men who saw them puzzled at the cheery mood between the rivals, but they quickly dismissed it as a fluke-the two boys weren't allowed to fight, so their jokester personalities were probably just doing what came naturally.

As Kurt finished up another area of wall, he glanced at Todd. "So, happy it's your last day of hiding, huh?" He said, quietly. 

Todd frowned, "I guess so. The first two days were hell, but-"

He turned to give a look of hesitant hope to the taller boy.

"I'm kinda havin' a good time today." 

Kurt smiled. "Vell that's good." As he turned back to his work, his forehead creased. "Are you sure you're not going to do anything about... you know who?...This might be the last time you ever get to see him... After this project, who knows vhere he'll go..." Kurt inwardly chastised himself for saying it... but he knew too much about regretting not tying up loose ends.

Todd's expression sank, and he leaned his head against one of the few dry spots on the wall.

"He doesn't wanna see me again, yo. An' that's just how it's gonna be." He turned to Kurt, looking him sadly in the eyes. "I'm sorry that I...I took out all my issues with my Dad on you. I'm a real hypocrite, getting mad at other people who hurt you, then doing it myself the next day." Todd gulped, and looked pleadingly into the older boys eyes, "Can...Can you forgive me?" 

Kurt turned back to the other boy, meeting Todd's eyes. He laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, touching Todd's cheek with one soft finger. "I think I can." One corner of his mouth dragged up into a lopsided smile.

"You have paint on your forehead."

Todd's heart leapt at Kurt's answer. Maybe things could be better, likely never the way they were, but Todd would take any opportunity he could to prove himself.

Wait...Paint?

Todd reached up to touch his forehead, feeling a streak of dried paint there, he tried to rub it off. "How'd that even get on there?" 

Kurt laughed, and pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket. "Here, let me get it! You probably got it on there vhen you put your head on the wall!" He began scrubbing at the younger boy's head. 

Todd gave a small laugh, and tried to pull away from the other boy.

"Stop it, dawg, that tickles!"

Kurt followed him, still wiping at the paint on his forehead. "Ach! I think I just made it worse, hold stillll!" 

Todd was practically giggling at the other boys touch, and he continued to back away. "Seriously, yo! Yer gonna knock off my skull protector!"

Todd and Kurt continued the following and backing up routine until they had passed the corner of the new garage. The only other person there was a lone construction worker, examining the paint job the kids had done earlier. His eyes shot over to the two boys coming around the corner. 

One was that German kid who'd stabbed himself two days ago, and the other one was...Familiar somehow.

Mortimer frowned, what was this? Some kind of school for gifted fags?

Kurt wiped one final swipe across the younger boy's forehead, knocking the younger boy's hat off. "There! Got it!" Kurt laughed, and started to tuck the handkerchief back into his pocket.

Todd gave one final laugh, and was about to say sweetly that the other boy was a jerk, but another, lower voice interrupted.

"You fucking RUNT, what the hell are you doing?"

Todd's head shot around to give a horrified stare at his father. "D-dad! I-I was j-just-"

"Shut the hell up!"

The large man stormed angrily towards the boy, face set in a look of rage.

"I tell you I never want to see your face again, and a week later I find you...FLIRTING with some prep-school trash? Why are you even here you little bag of shit?"

Todd cowered under the mans gaze, "I-I needed tah help fix up the place, an' Kurts not like that, he's not!"

Todd was trying to defend Kurt against the man's insults, but his dad's words made him feel so small... 

Kurt reacted instinctively. Stepping in between the raging worker and his son, he spoke. "Please calm down, sir! Todd's just trying to help!" Kurt's stomach dropped in terror-he could see why Todd was so frightened of this man... but he tried to steady his expression as much as possible.

Mortimer turned his rage onto the foreign boy for a moment. "Stay out of this you fuckin' Nazi. This is between me an' my kid." He turned his eyes back to the smaller, trembling boy behind Kurt.

"Get over here you little slut!"

Todd let out a little whimper, but obeyed the man's order, going around Kurt to face the older man. He kept his eyes on the ground, not wanting to see the hate in his father's expression.

A second later, Todd's hair was yanked back painfully, forcing his head up to look the man in the eyes.

"What, so not only are you some ugly little failure, but you're a faggot too?"

Tears slipped down Todd's face, and he started pleading with the older man. "T-That's not it! Let me go, Dad, p-please! It hurts!"

"Please, Mr. Tolensky, let go of him! Todd's not doing anything wrong, he's a really good kid! Haven't you hurt him enough already?" Kurt pleaded.

"I said stay OUT OF THIS you fucking queer!"

Mortimer used his free hand to shove Kurt forcefully into the wall behind him. Making a loud thudding noise and sending Kurt to the ground after the impact.

Kurt felt his head crack against the wall, and he let out a cry of pain. He struggled to remain conscious.

Todd's heart stopped for a moment.

His dad had hurt Kurt. His dad had hurt Kurt. His dad had-

"STOP IT!" Todd struggled against the man's grip on him. His expression gone from fearful to angry, though tears were still streaming down his cheeks. "Damn it, Kurt didn't do anything! Why are you hurting him?"

Mortimer turned, vaguely surprised by the small boys sudden outburst. "What the hell does it matter to you? Why's this bastard so important?"

Todd's eyes flashed to red, and he bared his teeth to the older man. "Because I love him!"

Todd's words permeated Kurt's bleary thoughts. He blinked, and looked in awe at what Todd was doing... Standing up to his father! For him! And... admitting he loved Kurt... in front of the man he feared the most...

Mortimer froze for a moment, before growling down at the boy. "So what? Because you have some crush on a pale-faced queer, you think it's true love? Your little 'relationship' shit is just a fancy way of getting a fucking partner! What makes you think that little Nazi would want you for anything more?"

Todd flinched, but stood his ground.

He didn't know if this was still true, not after he had punched Kurt almost a week ago, but the voice and feeling behind it was ringing in his head.

"Because he told me he loved me more than anyone else before!"

He reached back and ripped his fathers hand from his head, glaring daggers at his father.

"And stop calling him a Nazi! Kurt's a better person than you ever were!" Todd took a step back, and following his rush of adrenaline, he yelled out, "If you don't wanna see my face anymore then just IGNORE IT! I'm not a six year old who won't fight back anymore!"

Mortimer, shocked by his boys sudden burst of confidence, growled angrily. "So you think you can stand up to me? If I tried to throttle you right now you'd fight back? WELL?"

Todd flinched, as much as he meant his words, he wasn't sure he could follow through with his threats right now. He was still terrified deep down.

Luckily, he didn't have to, because the earth started to shake.

Suddenly, in a whoosh of air, Todd was standing a few feet back, with the rest of his crew. Appearing by his side was a tall, silver-haired teen, who sneered cruelly at the man. "Hey! Back off! Toad here may be a punk, but he's our punk. So quit messin' with him!"

Lance glared angrily at the burly construction worker.

"If you want to hurt Todd, you'll need to get through his team first. And we're a lot more dangerous than we look." His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and a small tremor shook the ground beneath them.

"A LOT more dangerous."

Todd looked at his teammates, all of them around him and looking furiously at the man who Todd had, mere hours ago, wanted the approval of more than anything.

Now he just wanted him to get lost.

Turning to look at his father, Todd said with a hesitant heart and a firm tone. "I don't need you, just go away."

Mortimer looked nervously at the three new boys standing around his unwanted son. The silver haired one had moved too fast to see, and one seemed like he was actually shaking the ground! The other one...Well, he just wasn't the kind you wanted to mess with.

Mortimer huffed and gave a shrug. He knew when he was outmatched. He walked past the boys to the group of construction workers that were packing up to leave.

"You're not worth the effort anyway."

Kurt, still a bit woozy, struggled to his feet. Todd had defended Kurt against his worst fear. How could he not forgive him? Stumbling a bit, he strode towards the younger boy-and taking his cheeks in his hands, kissed him. Straight on the lips.

Todd pushed his lips against Kurt's, trying to ignore everything else. Including his father's last hurtful words that were ringing in his head.

Kurt pulled back, looking right into Todd's eyes.

"You're worth it."

"Awww, Toad! The chick you were getting your panties in a knot for was... Nightcrawler? Geez, and I thought the guy had standards!"

Lance sent a hard whack to Pietro's middle. Growling under his breathe, "Shut up 'Tro, now's not the time." The rock tumbler took a quick look at the X-man and his youngest 'brother', but quickly averted his eyes. The two were lost in their own little world for now, and he felt like he should leave them in it for a while longer.

Todd's eyes faded back to amber, and he leaned heavily onto the other boy, too tired to sob out the feelings he was having.

His father would never love him, he'd been wasting his time even trying to talk to the man, and had almost lost the person most important to him. Kurt had forgiven him, made him important in his mind. Kurt was giving what his dad never had, and was giving it with so much less cost.

Burying his face in the taller boys shoulder, he desperately whispered the only thing that mattered anymore.

"I love you."

Kurt wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, pulling him closer. He kissed Todd's hair, and whispered gently something he knew he believed with all his heart. "I love you, too."


End file.
